eNigmatic
by Evelyn Willow
Summary: Ferriswheelshipping with lemons, powerful story line, decent writing, and different from the usual approach to fws. Oh and there are Pokémon battles. Touko has been looking all over the world to apologise to N, but she finally finds him back in Unova, and it's beginning to seem like their destiny together is far from over. LEMONS XXX
1. 1 - The Champion of Unova

**Welcome to Chapter One of this ... story. Which will kick butt and have multiple lemons, pokémon battles, and shippings. Some of the shippings are somewhat unorthodox but they are nonetheless cute 3 Of course this is primarily ferriswheelshipping. Anywho... please review.**

1

The Champion of Unova

_This was my home for most of my life. I was certainly a spoilt child in many respects, wasn't I, Touko? And of course I had all the friends I could ever wish for. But I consider you my friend, and I didn't wish for you. In that respect I guess I wasn't spoiled at all._

Touko felt her heart lurch as soon as she stepped in to the dusty toy room that had once belonged to Natural. She used to call him N – in fact, she still did. But she had heard that Natural was his real name. Like nature he was wild and unpredictable, but he wasn't nature. He was a human being, no matter what Ghetsis said. Looking around the dark, miserable room she could almost see the scene playing out before his eyes. N returned after brewing in his anger, his mind and heart scoured with still bleeding wounds. Stumbling into the room, his steel eyes would glimpse everything – the skateboard, the toys, the train set, the dartboard – and his teeth would bite down hard enough to hurt his jaw when the lies and the abuse came flooding back. His rage overtook him so much that would scream in fury and tear everything apart, until finally he would be satisfied. Then he wouldn't stay, or look back. He would simply leave that place behind. Her footsteps echoed around the room as she stepped around the basketball hoop that had been knocked to the ground, and over the toy trains and Pokémon that were strewn everywhere, until she finally reached the source of an eerie sound. A gentle tune had been playing – one that she instantly recognised, however... The music box was bent and damaged, and even as it wound around and around, the tune sounded odd and wrong.

"Where are you, N?" In this same castle, an epic battle was waged between two of the strongest trainers in Unova. It was a battle of wills between her and N Harmonia, the King of Team Plasma. He lost. She won. It was simple, but it meant everything. If she had lost, the new champion of Unova would've forced every single trainer in the country to relinquish their Pokémon. At the time, she completely saw N as her enemy. But as soon as she beat him that was crushed and so was he. Unlike her, he was ready to accept what fate had planned. For Touko, there'd have been no way she could ever agree to release her Pokémon, even if she'd lost, but when she defeated him he accepted her truth. To be honest, she knew she was stubborn. But in the face of this she couldn't help but admire someone that she had despised so easily only moments before. She wasn't looking for him for that reason, though. This time she was driven by regret. "Where are you, so that I can apologise? And…" She took a deep breath before carefully placing the music box back on the floor. "…I want to thank you." Every time she remembered, it made her want to die. To think that a man could raise a child as a tool to use… to think that she'd repeatedly insulted N and hated him, while knowing nothing of what that man put him through… it broke her heart.

_He's nothing more than a freak without a human heart. Do you think you're going to get through to a warped person like that?_

It was in fact, a stronger description of him than was of N. On one hand, Touko loathed N's goal of separating people from their friends, but on the other hand, she understood that he was motivated by love of Pokémon. She understood so easily because she too was driven by the love her friends. Admittedly, she wasn't the best at empathising but she never once had difficulty understanding that man and she absolutely never saw him as being subhuman. Why should she? She hadn't ever heard one person treat another with such abhorrence. And Ghetsis was supposedly N's foster father. Inhaling deeply, Touko spun back around and walked out of the room, her resolve twice as strong as when she'd first entered.

"Vi?" A pair of blue eyes shot up in front of the girl's face, as a small creature fluttered curiously around her.

"Sorry, Victini," she sighed, a small smile on her lips. "I was so sure he'd be either here or in the throne room. But he's not." Victini flapped in front of Touko for a moment, its mouth downturned before it gave a smile and put its tiny arms around her neck. "Okay let's get the hell out of this dump."

x

Thumping heavily onto the ground after slipping off her Braviary's back, Touko brushed the dust off her knees and rubbed the Pokémon's beak affectionately, before returning him to his pokéball. Her breath was hot in her throat as she gazed around at the tall buildings that were all around her. Driftveil City had changed more than she ever could have imagined, even after Touya had described it to her. Glinting green glass from the thousands of hotel windows seemed to stretch on forever, and as she continued up the street she felt amazed that she recognised the old market, but couldn't recognise anything in its immediate area.

"Uh… excuse me?" she asked, tapping a passer-by on the shoulder. A chubby man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and dark glasses turned to her with an almost exaggerated grin.

"What can I do ya for, missy?" Lowering her hand, Touko smiled back.

"Do you know where the Pokémon Centre is?" Based on where the market was, she should've been able to figure it out, but damn these tall buildings were so disorientating!

"Not a problem, ya just go up that street, make a left at the lights and follow the street till ya get there. Big orange building – ya can't miss it." Touko thanked him and continued walking slowly up the street, staring with a wide mouth at these modern giants. Honestly, she wasn't sure that it was a good look, but it was bound to be good for the economy. After all, Drifveil could be described as a gateway to Unova. If it wasn't, she wouldn't be there. Sadly, she had no leads that N was even in the Unova region. As soon as she and the Pokémon were rested, they were going to book a flight to Sinnoh – one place she hadn't visited yet. As she swung into through the electric doors of the Pokémon centre, she dragged herself across to the squishy cushions in the corner and flopped down near a group of trainers and closed her eyes. It felt a little stingy, but quite nice to close them after such a long two years.

"Wow, so you're really Rosa?" came a gasping voice, shattering Touko's comfortable trance.

"That's right. I'm so flattered that you know who I am." This person's voice was gratifyingly softer, though she still would've preferred for them to just stop talking altogether.

"How could I not know the illustrious actress, tycoon and Champion of Unova?" Touko's eyes shot open, and she slowly cast her gaze to her left. A blushing girl was sitting somewhat apart from the others. She had long brunette pigtails hanging down from two big buns on the sides of her head, and she wore girly sports visor. Tipping her hat back off her eyes a little more, she ran a more thorough scan of her new rival. Her soft cheeks and petite size suggested that this girl was probably fifteen years old, and her deep blue eyes were bright with youth, but heavy with experience. Admittedly, this girl was a beauty, so she wasn't fully surprised to hear that this person was a famous actor. Heck – someone who got around this much may know something of N.

"I never thought I'd be an actress," the girl said, the smile absolutely glued to her lips. "Pokémon battles are my first love. Actually, I haven't had a battle with anyone fresh for a while. I was thinking of heading to the PWT later. Anyone keen to enter?" All at once, the three guys sitting with her gave a burst of laughter.

"We wouldn't stand a chance against you, but we'll totally watch." Making a quick decision, Touko stretched her arms above her head before getting to her feet, throwing an obvious glance over to the group.

"Rosa, is it?" she smirked, walking over to the table. Looking up from the others, the blush in her cheeks cutely concentrated into little round circles, Rosa gave the newcomer a small wave.

"Hi," she said. Internally, Touko felt a twinge of embarrassment. Why did she always have to come across so intimidating?

"If you're the Champion, can I ask for your help?" This time, she tried to sound a little less prickly, but the sweet thing in front of her still seemed to edge away, even if only slightly.

"You can ask," Rosa replied. Around them, the young men were they exchanging lopsided grins and glances at Touko.

"Okay… I'm looking for the King of Team Plasma; N." Rosa's smile evaporated, and her brow grew heavy. Crossing her arms, she sat forward a little, looking up at Touko with scrutinising eyes.

"Why?" she asked, a slight growl in her voice. Touko bit her lip. How could this girl change her demeanour so quickly? It was a little unnerving, but she was an actress after all.

"Because I need to see him," she replied carefully, watching Rosa's expression. "He's an old friend who I haven't seen in two years." Lips forming around the letter 'o', the girl's eyes widened slightly.

"Are you that certain Trainer?" Touko blinked. What did _that_ mean? Suddenly, Rosa's face broke back into a sunny smile, and her bright eyes widened even further. "You must be! You must be Touko. Two years ago, right?"

"How did you know my name? Does N go giving my name out to strangers?" It wasn't a vicious question. She honestly couldn't picture N talking to people about her.

"We're quite close," Rosa told her, standing up to lean against the table. "Well… not that we talk much, but we've been through some things. But not in the same way that you have with him,  
from what I've heard."

"Are you saying he's in Unova?" A smile formed itself naturally on Touko's lips – not only because she now had a lead, but also because this Rosa girl had a sharp attitude about her.

"I don't exactly know where he is, but yes, he's in Unova."

"Thanks. I was about to go searching for him in Sinnoh," she sighed, dragging a hand down her face.

"So Touko – do you want to come to the PWT? I don't think I could take no for an answer," smiled Rosa. "Not now that I've actually met you." For the first time in quite a long time, the ex-Champion felt a minute spark of excitement.

"Is the PWT battle related? And I don't think I can take no for an answer." Laughing, the girl straightened her back and flipped her hair.

"It's the Pokémon World Tournament. There are plenty of categories, but I think we should be entering with the Gym Leaders, don't you?" Touko's jaw dropped slightly.

"Yes. Take me to this PWT now," she replied, her voice almost robotic. Not one of her gym leader friends had kept in touch with her since she left – except Cheren of course. That boy was too close to her heart to just forget about. Although, clearly he'd forgotten to mention this Pokémon World Tournament existed. She'd just have to find out about it for herself.

x

A spark of excitement lit up the dark chambers of Touko's heart as Rosa took her through the glistening arches into the Trainer's utopia – the first spark she'd felt in a while. Even though she'd never visited the Pokémon World Tournament before, the thought of seeing the national Gym Leaders again filled her with nostalgic anticipation. The glow of the white plaza burned into her retinas, as did the bright, flashy stands offering all kinds of services, and trainers seemed to be everywhere with their Pokémon. Somehow, everyone seemed to be smiling.

"Happy Birthday, sweetie," came a gentle voice, that was quickly followed by a delighted gasp. A tiny girl still plump with childhood looked almost glued to her spot as she beamed up at the Aipom in her mother's arms. The purple Pokémon seemed to laugh back, before it bounded down and took the girl by her hands, dancing her around in circles. Out of nowhere, an image of her old Zekrom flickered in the back of her mind. Of course. Had it not been for Zekrom, none of this would've been possible. The tie between people and Pokémon would have been severed.

"So, that stadium over there is the PWT," Rosa stated, her finger outstretched in the direction of an enormous building situated at the northern end of the plaza.

"Well, I didn't come here for the octopus balls, so let's go," she smiled, adjusting her cap to block out the sun. Soon enough, this action didn't matter as they were engulfed in the shadow of the modern looking stadium, which towered over them like a mountain of curving poles and smooth surfaces. "This place is amazing!" Through the glass doors she could see how vast it was, and there was a large crowd of people and their Pokémon bustling around the spectator's ticket booths. Even around the participant section there was a decent crowd, but one of the sections didn't seem to have anyone approaching it. A cool breeze hit them as the two stepped inside and they made their way (to Touko's surprise) swiftly to the least occupied counter in the participant's area. A young lady in a red suit gave them an enthusiastic grin and waved them over.

"It's nice to have you back, Miss Rosa." Chuckling, the young girl shook her head.

"Mel, for the last time – it's just Rosa." Touko regarded them both in silence, somewhat resentful that her Championship didn't consist of anything like this. "This is Touko-"

"Seriously?" Mel gasped, looking to the taller girl with wide eyes. Touko gave her an awkward smile. "Sorry…" she muttered, turning back to Rosa who had begun to frown.

"We'd like to enter the Unova Leader's Tournament, please." Nodding, the lady typed their details onto her computer. Then she individually recorded the Pokémon they were each entering before directing them around the counter and out to the participant's quarters behind a special private door. As soon as they entered the room, Touko's blue eyes fell to three very familiar faces.

"Touko!" the triplets chorused, all getting to their feet and grinning at their old friend.

"It's the three C's!" she cried back, throwing her arms around their necks, when her eyes met yet another familiar figure.

"I'm thinkin' that should be th' four C's," Clay smirked, lifting his cowboy hat to the two girls. Heart pounding in her chest, Touko took a step back and looked at all her friends with a smile on her lips.

"It's amazing to see you all again – Cilan, Cress, Chili and Clay. And to think that we're about to start battling in a few minutes," she told them.

"I know right," Chili laughed, his eyes still wide with joy. "It's only been two whole years since anyone's seen you, Touko. Where the heck've you been?"

"Seeing the rest of the world," she replied, completely disregarding the plasma televisions as they burst into life with the battle line-up. "But I've clearly missed out on what's been going on here – and Clay's done some amazing work here in Driftveil."

"That's fer sure," Clay confirmed, giving a stiff nod.

"Hey guys – check out the matchup," Rosa said, drawing their gazes in her direction. "See here – me and Chili are up against some strangers, Cilan is battling Cress, and Touko's fighting Clay." Just as Touko opened her mouth to comment, and as Cilan and Cress gave one another a high five, a short man with a pointed beard stepped into the room.

"Your individual battles are about to begin, so follow the assistants to your posts." Right away, eight stagehands came into the room. A young man with dark hair and scowling eyes approached her.

"Miss Touko – if you'll please follow me," he drawled, directing her through one of the many doorways and up a long corridor. "When you hear your cue you simply go across the walkway and onto the stage, where your battle will be commenced. When it ends, come back here and I'll take you to the next stage, or back to the participant's quarters." As they drew to the edge of the stage, Touko could hear the powerful buzz from the crowd. The room wasn't lit except for the seats, and when she peered around, she could see that although the stands weren't extensive, they were completely full. Suddenly, she had to withdraw as with a loud crash, the spotlights switched on and a fanfare started to play. An enormous TV screen burst into life and a young woman holding a mike stood on the sizeable stadium in front of it.

"Welcome to the Pokémon World Tournament – Unova Leaders, where you can watch your favourite Gym Leaders fight it out with their amazing Pokémon." A cheering crowd wasn't loud enough to cover the volume of her mike, and Touko had to cover her ears. "These are the heats, and today we have two very special trainers fighting on this battlefield. Please give Driftveil's very own Gym Leader Clay a warm welcome!" Suddenly the crowd's cheering went into overdrive, and in the distance she could just see the old sheriff step up onto the platform, as he waved at his loving crowd. "And fighting Clay, we have a newcomer to the PWT, but by no means a newcomer to battles. Give Touko, the ex-champion of Unova a big hand!" Caught up in listening to the announcement, her legs forgot to walk her out onto the stage, until the assistant gave her a small push. As her legs slowly began to move, she was suddenly overwhelmed by the roaring of the crowd, or was it her blood roaring in her ears? Soon enough, she was stepping up onto the stage, where Clay immediately locked her with a fierce and friendly gaze. "Let the battle begin!" _What? Already?_

"Go, Golurk!" the man growled, snapping the girl to attention as the sentinel burst from its Pokéball. Shaking away all remaining light-headedness, Touko seized her own Pokéball and hurled it forward.

"Let's go, Samurott!" she cried, as the loyal Pokémon burst out of the ball and faced the Golurk. Breathing out through its nose, Samurott regarded its opponent with a straight face – not thrown by Golurk's size.

"Golurk – Shadow Punch!" Clay ordered, drawing a swift diagonal with a sweeping arm.

"Use Night Daze!" Touko shot back, and before Golurk could charge up his fist with dark aura, her Samurott's eyes began to glow blue, and as it raised its front legs, it became bathed in a crimson aura. Then, smashing its fists back to the ground, the crimson light burst out across the room, smiting the Golurk in the shockwave. The entire creature was thrown off its back, and it landed heavily in front of Clay, making a cloud of dust. Watching with a keen eye, Touko could see that Golurk wasn't about to get back up – not from a dark-type move with that kind of power. A scowl on his face, Clay returned his Pokémon to its Pokéball, before shifting his hat on his head. There was a great cry of shock from the audience, but both trainers ignored it, as the man threw his next Pokéball after Golurk's failure.

"Let's get 'em, Excadrill!" shouted Clay, his voice sounding grittier as his heart began to burn with the heat of the battle. As the Excadrill burst onto the field, it snapped its claws at Samurott with a great energy, but Samurott continued to look back with the same sharp stare, as it awaited its master's orders.

"Okay, let's use Focus Blast," Touko told it, a small smile on her lips. Rapidly opening its mouth, Samurott began to form a blue orb in its mouth.

"Excadrill – Drill Run!" The blue orb shot at speed in Excadrill's direction, but in an instant the Pokémon had slammed its pointed claws up over its head and lunged, spinning through the air to intercept Samurott's attack. Colliding with the pulsing energy, Excadrill's momentum wavered, but the orb broke first, bursting and shattering across the wake of its attack.

"No!" Touko gasped, as the huge Pokémon slammed into her own, sending it crashing back to her feet in a cloud of dust. Clay watched, the same smirk still glinting in his eye – but as the dust began to dissipate into the dark air, the smirk flickered into shock.

"A Zoroark, huh?" he huffed, as it dawned on him that it was unusual for a Samurott to know Night Daze. Breathing heavily, the night fox looked wearily across as the Excadrill and slowly pulled itself to its feet.

"Are you okay to keep fighting, Zoroark?" she asked it, casting her gaze to her Pokémon. Eyes permanently fixed to its opponent, the noble creature gave a nod and retook its position in front of its master. Taking a deep breath, she looked across at Excadrill too, her mind buzzing. "Use Focus Blast again, Zoroark, and watch out for its claws!" Without hesitation, the Zoroark brought its paws together and shot an orb of powerful energy after the Excadrill.

"Use Drill Run!" Again, the bulk of the attack was deflected by the spinning drill as it powered toward Zoroark. Leaping into the air, the night fox jumped it as Excadrill shot past, leaving a jet of turbulence in its wake.

"Shit!" As it flew past her, Touko swung to the side to avoid the grinding steel.

"Now use Submission!" Before the girl could even clamber back to her feet, the Excadrill shot back and seized Zoroarks arms with its claws. As she saw the shock in its eyes, Touko's heart gave a sickening pound.

"Zoroark!" The Excadrill hissed, tossing her Pokémon into the ground like a rag doll, still holding its limbs tight. "Zoroark!" It cried out as the ground-type's hold tightened, and the girl could sense that it was in pain. "Use Flamethrower!" At close range, the Excadrill wouldn't stand a chance. As soon as the night fox's jaws opened, the Pokémon were engulfed in roaring flames.

"Confound it!" she heard the Underground Boss curse, as the flames slowly petered away. Apparently unconscious, his Excadrill was recalled to its Pokéball. Though it was another win for Touko, when she saw how tired her Zoroark was, she knew it was hard won.

"Zoroark, you've done great," she smiled. "You can take a break from the rest of the battle, okay?" Staring into her with its deep eyes, the fox gave a nod, before it was bathed in a red glow and it disappeared back into its Pokéball. "Sawsbuck – you're on!" As the deer-like Pokémon came out from its Pokéball, it trotted forward onto the scene adorned with its thick autumn headdress. She was an elegant trainer, and she had very elegant Pokémon.

"Yer on too, Krookodile!" In seconds, the elegance factor in the room was crushed, as the burly sand gater burst onto the field, with snapping jaws and a malicious grin. Lowering its gaze at the Krookodile, Sawsbuck snorted, scratching at the ground with its hoof.

"You're rearing to go, aren't you?" Touko laughed. Perfectly conscious of his predicament, Clay's frown deepened.

"Use Fire Fang!" he shouted, jabbing his finger in the grass-type's direction.

"Oh crap! Dodge it!" she shouted back, as the gater flew at her Sawsbuck with flaming jaws. The slightly faster Sawsbuck just managed to dash away from its path, but the Krookodile swung around quickly to make another lunge, its teeth still burning. "Now jump!" Using a similar tactic to with her Zoroark, Sawsbuck leapt just as Krookodile tried to catch it, and now the grass-type had it with its back turned. "Use Jump Kick!" Before the gater had the chance to turn, the grin was knocked from its lips as the Sawsbuck ploughed into its back, knocking it face first to the floor. "And finish it off with Horn Leech!" The hoof was immediately replaced by glowing golden horns which stabbed into the Pokémon, sapping its remaining strength, until Clay finally relented and returned it to its Pokéball.

"Thanks, Sawsbuck," she muttered as she recalled it to its Pokéball.

"And the winner is Touko!" the announcer cried, and Touko gave a final nod to Clay before departing back down the aisle to where she could sense the seedy assistant was still lurking backstage. As she was swamped back into darkness, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I need to heal your Pokémon before the next stage," came the bored drawl, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she passed her Pokéballs to him. Sweeping over them with a handheld scanner and healer, he gave a tired sigh before handing them back. "The remaining competitors are Rosa, Cilan, and Chili. You will be facing Cilan once he has been brought to this stage." _And so we wait…_ By the time the next match up was announced, Touko was barely paying attention, and the assistant once again had to give her a push. With a slightly irritable huff, she glared back at him before striding out onto the walkway, where she was once again welcomed by powerful cheering.

"Yeah, Touko!" she heard someone shout. Smirking, she stepped up to the stage and looked over to the announcer.

"And fighting Touko in the semi-finals of this Tournament is Cilan – the Grass type Master!" Another roar from the crowd ushered in the green-haired young man. He gave a nervous wave as he took his place facing her from across the field. "Let the battle begin!"

"Go, Samurott!"

"Ok… Go Ferrothorn!" Samurott, or Zoroark, stared as the Ferrothorn clambered onto the field, its organic and armoured limbs lifting its large and heavy body off the ground. "Use Powerwhip!"

"Flamethrower!" Touko shot back, her heart thudding at the sudden attack. As the creatures front appendage began to glow purple, it lifted off the ground. "Hit its underbelly!" she cried, as her eyes spotted the large area that was open to attack. Dashing forward, the Samurott's mouth began to spit fire, sending out a torrent of searing flames at the exposed area. Cilan gasped, his eyes widening as the power of the attack began to blow the Ferrothorn right over backward.

"Ferrothorn! Get out of there!" he gasped, but it was too late. Fire was an extremely strong move against a grass-steel type. Hissing in agony, the Pokémon collapsed onto its back unconscious, the metal underbelly glowing red with heat. "Return!"

"Great work, Samurott!" Touko laughed, as the imposter gave a gentle nod, trotting back to its master's side.

"Ok… Let's do it, Simisage!" As the monkey-like Pokémon burst out onto the field, the girl's brow furrowed. She couldn't count on Zoroark's speed here – as Simisage's almost matches it. "Use Seed Bomb!" Dropping down into a faster position, Simisage began to dash forward, its eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Flamethrower!" Touko shouted back, and Samurott opened its burning mouth.

"Dodge it!" A jet of flames shot from Samurott, but the Simisage jumped, as put its hands together to form a green orb.

"Dodge that too!" Touko began, but Simisage was already on her Pokémon, and it hurled its package right at it. Crying as the explosive force crashed over it, Samurott's shape began to flicker, before it finally faded to its true form. Leaping back, both Cilan's Pokémon and the trainer himself gasped. A scowl crossing her eyes, the girl clenched her fists. "Grab it, Zoroark!" _Let's see how that Simisage likes a face full of fire!_ Giving a small bark, the blur of the night fox shot out of the dust at the grass type, pinning its arms to its sides, grinning at it with its malicious eyes. "Now, let's use-"

"Use Low Kick!" Suddenly, a powerful leg shot out, slamming into Touko's Zoroark, and sending it crashing back into the dirt. Weak to the fighting type attack, the fox panted in pain, unable to clamber back to its feet.

"Zoroark?" Touko cried, suddenly awash with horror as her eyes widened and her skin went pale. "Return!" How was she supposed to beat two more grass types, when all she had herself was a grass type and a water type? Breathing deeply, she put away her Zoroark's Pokéball. "Go Samurott!" When her partner stepped out, her heart fluttered as it always did when she battled with her first Pokémon. For once, Touko was going to give the first command, and before Cilan could open his mouth she jumped in. "Use Swords Dance!" Lightning fast, the samurai warrior unsheathed its scimitars, both of which began to glow white.

"Use Seed Bomb, Simisage!" Cilan shouted, pointing at the Samurott who was doing what appeared to be a war dance with its ever lengthening weapons. Once again, the Simisage threw itself in Samurott's direction, raising its hands to form the glowing seed. Looking bravely to the type that it knew it was weak to, the samurai wielded its scimitars with its strong arms and awaited its master's order. It trusted her to keep it safe. Samurott flinched as the Simisage raised its arm to toss the explosive weapon.

"X-Scissor! Now!" In a flash, the Pokémon was struck by two sweeping blades tearing across it in an X shape. The sheer force of the attack sent it flying back the way it came, and it crashed onto the ground in front of its aghast trainer. Baring its teeth, the Samurott took a step toward the cloud of dust. Suddenly, something caught Touko's eye. "Samurott! Look out!" she cried, as the seed that Simisage had dropped tumbled toward it. Reacting quickly, the Pokémon leapt backwards, but as the seed exploded onto the ground a shock wave blew Touko off her feet, and Samurott had to cover its head. A sharp pain thudded into her back as she hit the earth, but she ignored it, clambering back up as she saw Cilan return the unconscious Simisage to its Pokéball. "S-Samurott," she gasped. "Are you okay?" Lifting its head slightly, it turned to reply but a ripple of green energy shot through it, making it flinch. "Samurott! I'm putting you back in your Pokéball!" Snorting, the Pokémon whipped its head away, before narrowing its eyes at Cilan. "You want to keep battling?" Touko didn't want another Pokémon to faint, but she knew her Samurott thought that she was too soft on them. N told her that over two years ago, when it was still just a Dewott. "Okay," she sighed, nodding to Cilan.

"Right… Let's go, Lilligant!" Raising her eyebrows, Touko watched as the gentle Pokémon came out onto the field. It probably knew Petal Dance – so she'd have to watch out for that. And if it knew Teeter Dance, that could be problematic seeing as Samurott had raised its attack, so hurting itself in confusion could be dangerous. _Damned stubborn Samurott…_

"Use X-Scissor!" Like a bullet, Samurott sprang toward Lilligant with its Scimitars ready to strike.

"Use Sleep Powder!" Her eyes widened as the Lilligant's flower began to glow, and the shock loosened her tongue.

"Come back! Get away from that powder!" Skidding to a halt, the Samurott resheathed its scimitars at speed, before darting away as dust began to flow into the air around Lilligant. Gritting her teeth, Touko realised her Samurott couldn't get anywhere near its opponent with X-Scissor, otherwise it'd fall asleep, leaving it open to any lethal attack from that potent grass-type.

"Use Petal Dance!" Cilan commanded, and Lilligant obeyed, as it began to spin rapidly, shooting waves of unavoidable petals at her Samurott. As the petals slammed into her Pokémon, beating it down with every hit, Touko's mind raced. At this point, she had to come up with a new strategy, and come up with it fast. But it wasn't hard – for Samurott had just the move for these situations.

"Ice Beam!" As the last few petals burst from Lilligant's body, the samurai opened its mouth and directed a sudden bolt of ice at the grass-type. Like a spear, the beam pierced the Lilligant straight through the chest, making its body freeze at the sudden chill.

"No! Lilligant!" Cilan cried, as his unmoving Pokémon fell to the ground. Panting harshly, the exhausted Samurott closed its eyes as Touko recalled it to its Pokéball.

"And the winner is Touko!" Once again, the battle was ended with little ceremony and Touko could only wave back to the shy young man as they both turned to walk back down the walkways. But now Touko wanted to get to the next battle quickly. She was anxious to see if she could test the new champion's strength. This Rosa person couldn't be as strong as her, surely?

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	2. 2 - Fashion and Ferris Wheels

**Salut! Here's chapter two and please don't forget to do all the good things once you've read it - Review, Fav, Alert and all that jazz. We gotta make this FAYMUS guys. Lol i mean thats not why I wrote this, but as an anti fetishwheelshipping chick, I would like to add to the tiny pile of great, accessible ferriswheelshipping**

2

Fashion and Ferris Wheels

"I'll just need you to hand over your Po-"

"Yeah, yeah," Touko butt in, shoving the Pokéballs into his hands, "Who won? Chili or Rosa?" Sneering, the assistant ran the scanner across her Pokémon and passed them back.

"They're still battling," he grumbled. Sighing, Touko turned away and tapped her foot impatiently. "Wait…" Whipping back to him, her eyes narrowed as he touched his earpiece. "Okay. Rosa is the rounds winner. Please come with me." Pumping her fists, she fell back in behind him and let him lead her to the next stadium. This time, as she waited for her name she was paying full attention. Besides, this announcer just sounded far more intense.

"Welcome to the finals of the Pokémon World Tournament – Unova Leaders! Iiiin the red corner, we have Unova's very own ex-champion and heroine of Unova, Tooooooukooooooooooo!" As the screams of applause threatened to burst her eardrums, Touko walked out toward the stage, even having the nerve to wave to the swamp of black where she could hear the audience. Stepping out and up onto her segment of the pitch, she stared out at no one. "Aaaand in the blue corner, we have the current Champion of the Unova Pokémon League – Rooooooooosaaaa!" Somehow, Touko felt like there was an even louder applause as the actress was ushered up to the stage. Her blue eyes were glinting in the flashing lights, and her cheeks were still flushed from her previous battle. Everything about Rosa suggested confidence – and although she had a small, slim stature, she managed to hold herself tall. Even her little smile seemed to be whispering 'bring it on'. "Battle!"

"Samurott, go!"

"Lucario! Let's do this!" Both Pokémon burst from their balls, and appeared on the field at the same moment. Samurott's narrow eyes watched Lucario, and Lucario smirked back, folding its arms. Touko looked up at Rosa, her heart burning in anticipation. Rosa stared back, a determined grin on her gentle face. Grinning back, Touko's brow furrowed, and she took a deep breath. If that Lucario were to try to use Close Combat, she should counter that with a close ranged Focus Blast, which would deal with a steel type with ease, but she didn't want it to come to that.

"Be ready to dodge close range attacks," Touko muttered, making Rosa's eyes narrow.

"Lucario! Use Psychic!" she shouted, throwing her finger in Samurott's direction. _Oh she's good!_ Lucario's eyes began to glow blue, its aura appendages lifting. Samurott looked somewhat bewilderedly down at its body as its outline shone, but just as the aura began to strengthen, it shattered around it. Smirking, as her Pokémon's eyes began to fade to normal, Rosa lowered her arm and straightened her visor. "I thought so. What Samurott would be more comfortable fighting long distance than fighting at close range?" Touko stared back with wide eyes, her mouth in the shape of an 'o'. But as her Pokémon gave a snort, her lips spread into a wide grin, and her blue eyes lit up.

"This is going to be even more fun than I thought!" she cried, clapping her hands to her chest. "Rosa – I can't wait to battle you!" Smirking, Rosa flicked her hair back, making the crowd cheer a little louder. "Alright – Use Flamethrower, Zoroark!" Growling, Samurott opened its mouth and sent a jet of flames spiralling in the Lucario's direction. Right before the flames slammed into it, it bounded in the air, its eyes alight with the fire's glow.

"Use Aura Sphere!" Rosa shot back, as Lucario charged the blue aura in its paws, before shooting it at Touko's Pokémon.

"Weaken it with your flames!" Touko practically screamed, as the orb shot at Samurott, and it raised its head just in time to collide with the orb, making it explode only a few feet short of impact. As the shock wave washed over Samurott, it flinched, and its shape began to flicker.

"Bone Rush!" Suddenly, out of the billowy smoke, Lucario shot forward at the flickering night fox, wielding an aura staff. Swinging the staff with skill, the fighting type landed several blows on Zoroark, making it stumble back as it guarded its face.

"Grab it!" Lucario cried out, as the Zoroark's strong hands latched tightly onto its arms. "Focus Blast!" As the close range attack hit Lucario at full strength, Touko blocked her head from the shockwave of the explosion, and Rosa gasped. Stumbling back, the fighting type barely kept itself from falling over. "That's a strong Lucario, to withstand that kind of attack."

"He's very determined," muttered Rosa, a scowl in her eyes. "So am I."

"Shake your head and use Flamethrower!" This time, as Zoroark breathed its deadly flames across the field, it gently shook its head, sending a horizontal wave on barely avoidable fire at its foe. As the waves worked their way across the field, Rosa's smirk returned to her lips.

"Use Bone Rush, and spin it!" she directed. Eye's lighting up again, the Lucario used its aura to create the glowing staff, and as the flames moved to make contact, it spun the staff with great dexterity in its paws. As the fire collided with the attack, it was sent spiralling back in Zoroark's direction at speed. "You aren't the only one with tricks, Touko!" Face a little pale, Touko's mind began to race.

"Zoroark!" she gasped, as she struggled to think of her own way to repel the fire. As the pounding flames hit into her Pokémon it hunched, its whole body flinched in pain.

"Aura Sphere!" Eye's shooting back up, Touko reacted.

"Block it with another Flamethrower!" But as the last of the flames washed over her Pokémon, Zoroark had no time to even open its jaws before the blue orb of aura shot after it, colliding heavily into its chest. The force of the collison created a small explosion, even lifting Zoroark off its feet and blowing it back into the dust. "No! Zoroark!" she gasped, as the injured Pokémon lay shivering at her feet. "Return!" As the Lucario leapt back to its master's side, Touko looked up at them, gritting her teeth. Though, the Focus Blast that the Lucario had taken had left it seriously weakened – and now she knew its fighting style.

"Go Sawsbuck!" Touko shouted hurling her Pokéball forward, as the deer-like Pokémon came out, bucking its horns vigorously.

"Use Ice Punch!" Rosa called back, wasting no time at all. Charging an icy fist, the Lucario began to sprint at its opponent.

"Jump Kick!" Eyes glinting, the Sawsbuck spun and lashed out at the Lucario with its back legs. Two hooves collided with the steel-fighting type's chest, sending it on a one-way trip back the way it came. Crashing limply into the ground, the exhausted Pokémon's eyes closed as her master cried its name.

"That's… a fast Sawsbuck," murmured Rosa, holding out the Pokéball to recall Lucario. Slipping it away, she pulled out her next one, the heavy frown back across her forehead. Somehow, Touko felt somewhat sad about Rosa's Lucario fainting – it was clearly an extremely well trained Pokémon. "The spotlight's yours – go Emolga!" For some reason, as the electric flying squirrel darted from its Pokéball into the air above the battlefield, the crowd began to scream in excitement. Seeing the confusion in Touko's eyes, Rosa smiled. "Emolga is an acting Pokémon. She's starred with me in several films."

"That's pretty impressive," the ex-champion replied, a twinge of jealously plucking at her heartstrings. As the Emolga descended slowly to the ground, due to the lack of breeze, it raised its little face to Touko, poking out its tongue. "Oh wow – she really is a character!"

"Ha," Rosa breathed. "You should meet my Whimsicott…" Sniggering, Touko shook her head. "Okay, Emolga – let's use Acrobatics!" Squeaking, the squirrel darted forward, before spreading its arms and taking off, going right over Sawsbuck's head. Sawsbuck spun around after it, trying to track the fast moving creature as it swooped around it, though it could barely keep up. Thinking fast, something clicked in Touko's mind as she spotted Sawsbuck's thick headdress.

"Jump and catch it in your horns!" she ordered, and Sawsbuck sprang in the air, just as Emolga did a false swoop over its head, but this time the tiny Pokémon got caught up in the larger Pokémon's horns. "Pin it to the ground and use Horn Leech!" Slamming its horns into the ground, its horns began to glow gold, as it drained the electric type's energy.

"Emolga! Use Thunderbolt!" Squeaking in pain, the Emolga curled up, before releasing a yellow jolt of energy that immediately engulfed Touko's Sawsbuck, making it slam its eyes closed in agony. But it still didn't let go, as it drained energy from her and absorbed it into its own body. "Give it some more juice, like we trained!" Rosa shouted desperately, painfully aware that no technique aside from sheer force was going to get this Sawsbuck off her Pokémon.

"Moooool!" the Pokémon screamed, as the electricity's power grew suddenly and began to spread, forming a ball of swarming electrical energy around itself and its foe. Slowly, the ball grew in intensity, before it suddenly expanded out as it exploded, shooting smoke up into the air and billowing out all across the stage, covering the audience in darkness. As everyone fought to see through the smoke, there was silence. Suddenly, there was a gasp, as the smoke dissipated into the air. "Mol…" As the last of the poor Pokémon's energy drained into Sawsbuck's horns, the grass type lifted its majestic head, looking into Rosa with no expression. Staring back, Rosa tried to say something, but her throat was dry. That was easy for this Sawsbuck.

"Emolga – return!" As Emolga's tired body returned to its ball, Rosa brought it to her lips. "Thanks, friend. You really tried so hard." Groaning, she pulled out her last Pokéball, praying that Sawsbuck would have more trouble this time. "Go Samurott!"

"Samurott?" Touko breathed, her blue eyes shooting open as a second Samurott faced her from across the stage. For some reason, the Samurott turned its head to look at its master, as if waiting eagerly for instruction. "Fine then. Sawsbuck – use Wild Charge!" she ordered. Right away, Sawsbuck lowered its head for the tackle, but as it tried to break into a sprint, its whole body tensed and shuddered as electrical sparks swarmed across it. "It's paralysed?"

"Use Ice Beam!" Rosa shouted, and Samurott opened its mouth and shot a freezing beam at the grass-type. Barely able to move, Sawsbuck was helpless as the jet of ice slammed into its chest, making its entire body freeze over in an instant.

"Damn it! Sawsbuck!" Touko cried. She didn't realise her Sawsbuck was in such bad condition. But it made sense that it would've hid it from her so well… "Return!" As it returned, frozen, back into its Pokéball, she gave an internal sigh. "I can't believe this is really about to happen, but… Go Samurott!" As her own Samurott came out onto the field, Rosa gave a light chuckle.

"I had a feeling it might turn out like this, after seeing your Zoroark." Touko shrugged. "So… Samurott on Samurott. Who will win?" Well, Touko knew exactly who she wanted to win.

"Use Swords Dance!" instructed Touko, and immediately her Pokémon unsheathed its blades and showed them off, as they started lengthening in a white glow. Rosa smirked.

"That move suits Samurott," she told her.

"Yeah… well… it's copyrighted!" Laughing, Rosa shook her head as the Samurott completed its move.

"Use Surf, Samurott!" Growling, the Samurott's eyes began to glow red, and from just before Rosa's feet, a huge wave began to brew, before it raised into the air, crashing towards the other Samurott, with the first Samurott riding the wave.

"Swim under it," Touko said, barely concerned as her own Samurott shot like a bullet into the base of the wave. Crashing into the ground, the wave washed around her feet, getting her boots wet. "Use X-Scissor!" The two dripping Samurotts were standing on the field, one looking bewilderedly around for its opponent, but the other was preparing to charge.

"Behind you! Use Ice Beam!" Whipping around, just as Touko's Samurott was running at it with its weapons blazed, Rosa's Samurott fired its Ice Beam straight into its foe's forehead, freezing its entire body in an instant. "Now you use X-Scissor too!" Tearing its blades from the sheathes, the Samurott slashed the ice from its opponent's body, giving a critical blow to Touko's Samurott. "And again!" Just as the Samurott started to regain its senses, it was met by yet another blow, knocking it further away from Touko. "Again!"

"Samurott! Snap out of it!" Touko shot back, and this time, as the rogue Samurott's blades went to attack her Pokémon, they were met by another set of Scimitars, blocking its attack. Gasping, Touko sensed her Pokémon's advantage, given to it by Swords Dance. "Kick its ass!" Suddenly, the battlefield turned into a flurry of limbs as each Samurott both attacked viciously and defended ferociously with their weapons. In terms of speed, strength and concentration, each was dealing out enough to keep the other on its toes – but Touko's Samurott had longer, sharper Scimitars, and its enemy's defences weren't quite enough to ward off all of the slashes. And the more hits it got in, the more hits that the other Samurott allowed it to get in. Scowling, Rosa clenched her fists.

"Fall back, Samurott!" she shouted, her cheeks flushed with pink from battling. "Use Hydro Pump!" Dashing back toward its master, the Samurott turned and raised its head, before firing a terrifying, pounding jet of water straight at Touko's Samurott. A loud crash echoed through the room as it hit her Pokémon, and Touko's eyes widened, to see the relentless jet pounding into her flinching Samurott.

"Fight it! Power up your Swords Dance once more and get it with Shell Blade!" Touko encouraged, and she could see her Pokémon look up at its enemy through the water, its teeth bared with determination. Slowly pushing its way closer as its blades grew even longer, her Samurott's energy was slowly being sapped as it beat its tail to aid it. Finally, when it was nearly nose to nose with its opponent, the Samurott tensed its arms and preparing to swipe them against the pounding force. But Rosa said nothing, and Touko could see why. Her Pokémon's entire body was shaking. Any second, it wouldn't be able to hold on. Then it would all be over. "Samurott! You can do this!" Grunting, the Samurott finally swung its arms forward with all its remaining strength directed into its now blue glowing blades. Both collided with its foe's side with an astonishing power that sent it sliding back, before its feet slipped and it tumbled to the ground, still rolling backwards, until it was lying at Rosa's feet.

"Samurott – you're…" Unconscious. But it wasn't over. As the remaining Samurott stood, its legs began to shake, and then they finally gave way, leaving it lying motionless in the middle of the field. Touko blinked. No one said a word, and even Rosa was simply staring down at the two exhausted Pokémon. Now it was over.

"S…" Touko licked her lips, her eyes flicking from her Pokémon, to Rosa's, to Rosa herself, and then back to her Pokémon. "Samurott… return."

"Uh… the winner is… uh…" the announcer murmured awkwardly, but Rosa cut across him, walking out onto the stage as she returned her Pokémon.

"That was an amazing battle, Touko." A small smile finding her lips, Touko nodded.

"Yeah. It was. Amazing." Stepping forward as well, the taller brunet put her hands on the petite girl's shoulders. "I'm so glad that my predecessor is an incredible trainer like you."

x

"Y'all are back!" Clay exclaimed, as the two girls finally came out into the main entrance, arm in arm. Laughing, Rosa slapped her knee.

"None of you told me Touko was this awesome at battling. I thought I'd lost for a second. Did you guys see it?" Both of the girls' blue eyes were bright, and their cheeks were glowing.

"Indeed – it was certainly an amazing battle," Cress said with a small smile, as he sat back in his seat a little.

"Yeah!" Chili cried, his eyes fiery, "But we didn't expect anything less from you two."

"It… it's almost embarrassing how much more quickly you picked up on the fact that she had a Zoroark than I did," Cilan said, scratching his head at Rosa. Clay shook his head.

"Ya ain't the only one," he sighed, raising an eyebrow at Touko. As the girls finally waved them goodbye and walked back out onto the plaza, neither could help but give the occasional giggle.

"No wonder N likes you so much," Rosa chuckled, making Touko send her a burning stare. "He's looking for you too, so I really hope you catch him up soon." Frowning as the two made their way across the tiled grounds, Touko tilted her head.

"He's… is he really looking for me?" Thinking about how abruptly he'd left two years ago, she never thought he'd want to see her again. Back then it was as though… their destiny together was over. Or at least, that's how he would've seen it. So he'd see no reason to want to see her again. Beside her, Rosa was looking at Touko's face with slight curiosity.

"Why should that surprise you?" she asked her. "You're the first human from the real world that he's ever gotten to know. And he was like, 17 at the time – which is kind of old for that sort of thing." When Touko continued to stare at the ground, Rosa sighed. "When I first met him, I heard his father call him "N – the freak without a human heart." But he also saved my life that day, and so I knew that it wasn't true. I think you know that too, Touko. Beneath all those ones and zeroes, he's still a human."

"He saved your life?" Touko murmured back, too shy to respond to anything else. "Well he threw mine off its rails. Not that I regret saving Unova, but it was hard to call someone your friend when you were fighting him just to keep your family together."

"What, you play house with your Pokémon?" As the two walked through the gates and back into Driftveil, their walking slowed to a stop. "Fair enough. But about N – when we ride the Ferris wheel from time to time, he spends ages banging on about how the Ferris wheel works. But when he eventually relaxes a little, he talks about you. And it's pretty clear from listening to him talking that he is everything that makes a human a human." For some reason, Touko felt slightly tongue-tied by this. Like, she wasn't quite sure what she meant, but was too scared to ask.

"I… might grab your number before I go," she said, pulling her Xtransceiver out of her bag. Rosa took it and jabbed in the number with one thumb, while she reached into her bag and passed hers to Touko.

"Good idea… it's so easy to forget to do this." As the two swapped back and put them away, Touko's eyes suddenly shot wide open. "What?"

"The Ferris wheel – of course! N loves Ferris wheels, so he might be in Nimbasa." Quickly tossing Sawsbuck's Pokéball, she dashed to where it appeared before vaulting onto its back. Snorting, the grass-type raked the ground with its front leg. "See ya round, Rosa!" she waved, clicking her heels into the Pokémon's sides.

"Bye!" Rosa waved back, a laugh in her voice as Touko rode off down the street.

x

Touko rode into the city of lights like Jamie Foxx in a Quentin Tarantino film – her visor over her eyes, as she swayed with every slow step of her valiant steed. Somewhere in this town, N could be waiting for her. Casting her eyes at the sky, she could see that it was getting to be mid-afternoon, and if N was going to be at the Ferris wheel today, then it would be now. It didn't seem likely at all, but she had nothing else to go on. Digging her heels into her Pokémon's sides, she encouraged it to go into a trot, the two rode into the city in the direction of the amusement park. But soon, the crowds of people flowing up and down the streets made her look quite out of place riding on her Sawsbuck, so she clambered off, thanking it warmly as it was returned to its Pokéball.

"I'd like to get into the park, please," she told the lady at the ticket booth, handing over her 50 Pokédollars. Frowning at the money, she shook her head.

"That's 150 dollars," she told her. Raising an eyebrow, Touko dug around in her pocket for some more money before handing it over.

"Sorry. It used to be only 50." The cold faced woman blinked slowly.

"That was two years ago." Shaking her head, Touko walked through the pedestrian barriers and into the amusement park. It wasn't a particularly crowded day, but there were still enough people that Touko couldn't see straight to the Ferris wheel. Still, she headed in that direction, weaving around the stands and throwing glances around her to see if she'd spot some green hair or a Rubik's cube or something that suggested that the person might be N, but nothing caught her eye. Not even when she actually did reach the Ferris wheel. Crestfallen, but not surprised, Touko looked up at the giant and watched it turn slowly, as all the little carriages dangled delicately from their bars. She even considered going up it, but she wasn't that interested in Ferris wheels. She only ever went up that one time that N had wanted to 'look for the members of Team Plasma'. What a load of BS. "I am the king of Team Plasma." Just casually. It had hardly phased him to tell her that, even though she almost kicked him out the window. Actually, she still found him somewhat creepy then. Mostly because she thought he was following her for weird reasons – but that reason actually turned out to be not that bad, and he wasn't even intentionally following her (probably). Shaking away the thoughts of N, Touko cast her gaze around until it fell on a new building. Cheren had told her about it – a runway for models, and Elesa's new gym. Well, a visit to Elesa would be bound to cheer her up, if she could just get past the gym leader's complete lack of a sense of humour. Which wouldn't be too bad, cos I don't have one either, she thought bitterly to herself.

The moment Touko entered this new building, she felt incredibly un-fabulous. The music was modern and poppy, and as she walked out onto the catwalk she saw slender beauties wearing the most amazing outfits and carefully applied makeup. God it made her feel like a runt. As she walked up the catwalk, it lit up ahead of her, and disco lights shot around the room.

"Well, Touko! It's been a while, right? What's going on?" Looking up at the silhouette of who she guessed was Elesa, the girl scratched her head and gave an awkward grin.

"I'm here on business," she said. "But I thought I might come and see you while I can."

"I appreciate the thought," came the reply, when suddenly, a spotlight came on and shone down on the supermodel, making Touko gasp in shock.

"Elesa! Your look is totally… Awesome!" Her hair was black, and her headphones were as colourful and exciting as the rest of her outfit. She looked totally… not intimidating. She looked cutesy, for heaven's sake.

"Yeah! I wanted to look less imposing," she said, grinning. But then her smile dropped, and her eyes widened somewhat. "Jeez, Touko – you look exhausted. I bet you've been barrelling non-stop since you went off. In fact you still were even back then."

"I…" Suddenly, Touko dashed forward and gave her friend a hug, and Elesa seemed happy enough to return it, giving the brunet a tight squeeze. "You're the only one I can tell this too, Elesa, but… I feel like everyone here has changed except me in the last two years, ya know?"

"Fuck it – we're getting you a new outfit," Elesa laughed, leaning back with her hands on both of Touko's shoulders. "And a makeover. If you wanted to feel like a new woman, you've come to the right place." Joy washing over her, Touko gave Elesa another squeeze. She respected that she and Elesa were totally different girls, but that was also the reason that spending time with her made her so happy. She could feel like a girl for a change, without feeling weak or silly at the same time, because unlike her, Elesa knew what she was doing. "Let's hit the tooown!" she cheered, scooping the intonation of her voice on the last word.

x

"Wow, Touko!" Elesa gasped. "This suits your badass attitude down to the ground. I had to learn the hard way how important it is that your outfit suits your character." Looking down at her body, Touko shrugged.

"Are you sure, Elesa? This isn't much like my last outfit." A black pleated skirt that she was sure she could never bend over in, calf high black boots and a long white t-shirt, that moulded to her shape. The t-shirt was the only thing she may have picked out herself, for the large pink Pokéball symbol printed on the front – though the low cut collar might've put her off. But the _choker_. The _buckles_ on her goddamn boots. And no fucking cap? She didn't know what to do with all the hair falling in her face now that it had been let out. The fawn and pink arm warmers were cute, though. Just adding them to her old outfit would've made her feel new enough without all _this_.

"Come on, Touko. You look beautiful," Elesa smiled. "You aren't a kid anymore – but if you don't like it because of the outfit you don't have to get it. But if you just don't want to change, I'll force you into it." Shaking her head in disbelief, Touko turned to the mirror with slack shoulders, not really flattering the image. "Don't be like that. Stand up straight." Sighing, she fluffed her hair back, then pulled her shoulders back, straightening up, smiling at herself. "See? It might look kind of different, but the statement it gives is the same." And it actually did.

"I guess I like it," Touko murmured, trying and failing to wipe away her own grin. "And I guess I can still tie up my hair when you aren't looking." Glancing at the skirt, she gulped. "Um… I don't wanna sound dumb asking this, but… how do I bend over to pick stuff up without flashing everyone?"

"You don't," was the inevitable response. "If you're that sort of person and don't mind flashing everyone, I'll let you go back to the shorts, but you can always just crouch."

"Okay." She was a little worried about the skirt, but she didn't want to get rid of it. Touko felt a little light headed at how good it looked. In a way, she didn't really think there were many outfits that she'd suit, but this one worked. "Can we get it?"

"Where's your wallet?" snickered Elesa, waving a hand. "Off you go, ya scamp, and then I'll walk you to the Pokémon Centre." Nodding, Touko grabbed her clothes and went back into the changing rooms. On the way to the counter, it did occur to her that her clothing was kind of old – she'd had the same old outfit for two years. It was only because she really liked it, but… this change felt good. As the girls walked out of the shop, Elesa watched as Touko kept glancing in the bag. When they finally reached the Pokémon Centre, the girl had still barely said a word. "Don't worry, okay, Touko?" Elesa told her, giving her friend a small smile. "It's okay to take a break every once in a while, and to just do something for yourself. You work yourself way too hard."

"Thanks," Touko replied, with no intention of following the gym leader's advice. As Elesa strode off into the night, Touko went back into the Pokémon Centre and straight to the counter to ask for a room. And as soon as she'd used the showers and gone upstairs, she collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep. _I… wonder if N will still recognise me…_

x

_Bzzz… Bzzz…_

Eyes fluttering open, Touko inhaled deeply and rolled over, looking for the source of the buzzing. Oh… Her bag was vibrating. Because… Elesa put her Xtransceiver on the counter at the make-over place and forgot to pick it up, so Touko put it in her bag with the intention of returning it. And yet, a foreign ringtone was buzzing in her bag the next morning. Sighing, Touko rolled onto her back and let the transceiver to buzz itself to death. Time to get up. Grabbing the make-up she'd bought from her pile of shopping, she walked over to the mirror to put the brown stuff on her eyelids and black stuff on her eyelashes, because it apparently made her eyes stand out, and the lashes look longer. Then she painted her lips with some thick gloss, before slipping into her brand new outfit. Looking at the outfit in natural light, she looked a lot more normal. Then stuffing her remaining stuff in her bag, and throwing her rubbish in the bin, she went down to pay for the overnight bill. Maybe she'd go to hand the thingy back to Elesa… then… get breakfast at the amusement park or something. Blinking heavily as she stepped out into the sunlight, she let her legs carry her to the park, where she paid the stupidly inflated entry price before going in. Her legs looked so different clad in leather. All she needed were chains… _Stupid post-purchase doubt…_ Maybe she'd take her Pokémon on one of the rides. Victini would love that. _That's just… that's…!_ She'd barely looked up, but she absolutely had to double take with this one. Suddenly, her legs wanted to turn her around and change herself back into her normal outfit. She almost did. But as the young man began to turn, she froze. A tall young man with green shoes, brown slacks, white shirt and the unmistakeable mess of green hair flowing from his pale head. N's hat was clasped loosely in his fingers, as he had apparently been staring up at the Ferris wheel, not unlike how Touko did the day before. And as he turned, his steel eyes fell on her in an instant. And they did not move.

**OOOOOOOOOH so many lady boners!**

**Review, Fav, Alert nd all those good things please xxxx**

**Also... for those waiting for lemons, they will come but you must wait. Thank you.**


	3. 3 - Nimbasa from the Sky

**Review, Favourite, Subscribe... thanks :D This is the first chapter centred around N and Touko. I hope it goes well :)**

3

Nimbasa from the Sky

Lip trembling as her head began to spin, Touko fought to collect her thoughts. But it was hard. He couldn't more than a few metres away from her. And he was looking straight into her. At first he'd squinted in the morning light, but his hand fell to his side and his eyes grew wide, his mouth falling open. Right in front of her. As her heart slowly began to beat again, Touko's mind started turning over all her feelings, trying to gather them into something she could put a name to. Fear, perhaps?

"Touko!" N gasped, his eyes widening even further. Suddenly, she felt her weak legs tumble her forward, until she was only a few feet from him, her eyes fixed to his face as though she thought he'd disappear if she tore away her gaze. It felt like her chest was going to burst so much that her ribs were actually in pain. She hadn't even realised there was any physical base to that cliché. What was she going to say? What the hell was she supposed to say to him again? His eyes truly had her in their metallic grasp – it was so nostalgic that it made her shiver. They were wide with shock, and his jaw was dropped, if only a little. Naturally he looked a little older – his jawline was more defined, though he hadn't gotten much taller. Still, somehow he looked more mature. It scared her slightly. This whole situation scared her. Especially seeing as she'd been standing there, just staring at him while he was waiting for her to say something. Swallowing, Touko glanced away before looking back into his astonished eyes.

"N, I-"

"Oh, Touko!" came a sudden voice, completely shattering any remaining delusion Touko had that she wasn't in a bustling amusement park. N turned his head to look, and Touko sidestepped to see Elesa walking toward her with a slightly embarrassed grin on her face. "It is good to see you, seeing as I accidentally left my Xtransceiver with you!" Feeling slightly dizzy, she shook away the remaining cobwebs before smiling back.

"Yes, you did, silly. Here ya go." Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the misplaced item and handed it to the blushing gym leader.

"Thank. You. Very. Much." Touko laughed, shaking her head.

"It's fine." Quickly, she exchanged a glance with N, whose brow was furrowed as he looked bewilderedly from her to Elesa.

"Uh…" Stepping forward, he went to shake Elesa's hand, but she moved it away so he left it. "Do you remember me, Elesa? My name is N."

"Yeah, I remember you," she snarled. Backing away, N scowled back at her. "You know, I feel personally insulted that you dared to come back into Unova. And I hope like hell that you never feel welcome here again."

"You don't know what you're talking about," he growled back. "And in case you didn't notice, I was with Touko when you interrupted us." Face going red as Elesa's eyes snapped to her, Touko shook her head vigorously.

"It's fine, Touko," she said, looking at her friend with a forgiving expression. "I'll talk to you some other time."

"Bu-" Lowering her exasperated hand as Elesa disappeared back through the flocks of people, Touko gave a sigh. Throwing her gaze back to N, she gave him an unreturned smile. "It's great to see you, N. Don't let Elesa bother you." His eyes widened at her, and he tilted his head.

"What, so you don't feel the same?" As Touko shook her head, a grin found N's lips. "Then I guess it's great to see you, too."

"Sure, why not…" Looking away with tired eyes, she wondered how she could weave her way across N's emotional minefield. "How have you been?" she squeezed out, looking slightly creeped out by her own politeness.

"Fine, I guess. I've been learning about the relationship people have with their Pokémon," he replied. "Touko."

"What?" As she gave him a quizzical look, he shook his head.

"Nothing." Jeez. She'd spent two years looking for this guy to have the dullest conversation of her life. "Except… do you want to ride the Ferris wheel with me?"

"Of course – I'd hate to deprive you from the circular motion, the mechanics, the collection of elegant formulas," she teased. His brow knitted together and he folded his arms. "Sorry…"

"Whatever." Walking up to the barrier, he stepped into the small and cosy compartment and gestured for Touko to follow with a wave of his white hand. "I'm accustomed to people making fun of me by now. I don't know what they want from me anymore." A pang of guilt struck her heart as she stepped inside, and she gazed at him apologetically as they both sat down in the seats.

"I really am sorry – I didn't mean to laugh at you." As his brow relaxed, he beamed at her.

"It doesn't matter." The doors beside them clicked shut, and with a thud, the carriage started to lift them into the air. As Touko turned to look at the crowds becoming smaller and smaller, she could feel N's gaze still burning into her. "You… look different to what I was expecting."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she hissed, her eyes snapping back to him, before it suddenly struck her and her face seemed to flip from an expression of annoyance to one of remorse. "Oh I'm sorry!" she cried, as N moved away nervously. "I forgot. Elesa helped me find some new clothes and stuff… and made me put weird make-up on my face so that I'd look nice and 'new'." She watched him confused, as his eyes darted away from her and he fiddled with the pendant around his neck.

"That's not what I meant. I mean your face looks different. You don't look like a kid anymore," he told her quickly, not quite meeting her stare. Embarrassed, Touko's line of sight shot back to out the window, though she wasn't really paying any attention to the view. Why would N say something weird like that? Why did he always have to be so weird? As if N could read her mind, his expression fell, and he looked out the other window with sad eyes. "Sorry. It's just been so long."

"You've changed too," Touko muttered, causing N to stare at her. "I mean… you don't talk as quickly as you used to."

"I talk slowly when I don't know what to say," he replied, frowning at the anticlimactic compliment. There was another hiss as the Ferris wheel came to a stop. "Well anyway… I better-"

"No, wait!" Touko interrupted, jumping to her feet as N leaned to stand up. Pausing, he looked up at her with raised eyebrows.

"What is it, Touko?"

"I'm not doing anything. We should at least catch up, N. I mean, we are friends, right?" Blinking, N sat back in his seat and stared up at the flustered girl. "So if friends don't see each other for two years, then a reunion is a big deal." He looked at her for a second longer, before taking a deep breath and clambering to his feet.

"How long have you been in Unova, Touko?" he asked her, his voice strangely soft as his steel eyes pierced hers.

"A week or so. It's really changed." Turning his eyes away, N stepped out of the carriage, soon followed by Touko. She shot him a sideways glance. "There's still more of the world I want to see, but…"

"Then I want to make a deal," N told her, returning her gaze. "I'll spend the day with you, if you promise that you won't leave Unova without talking to me first." Taking a deep breath, Touko scratched the back of her neck, squinting up at him.

"I know what you mean, and I feel the same way," she told him. "We should really act like proper friends. As in, have fun together and to keep in touch when we're away. And not fly off on a Pokémon and disappear for two years without a single trace." Hoping to gauge a reaction, Touko felt a pang of disappointment as he simply continued to stare.

"How could I have stayed? People hate me for my old views." Seeing the irritation in the flick of the girl's hair, he cast his gaze away. "But yes. I'd like to keep in touch with you. It hasn't been… easy. Even after spending so much time with humans, and learning so many amazing things, I just feel like I want to be part of that life and not just to observe it. I want to be with my friend, Touko." Shivering slightly as a cool breeze blew over her, she covered her arms with her hands. Looking up at him with her blue eyes even larger than usual, she waited for him to say more. "So is it a deal?"

"It sounds like a nice idea, N. And you know if you ever need me, you can count on me. Do you understand?" As N began to walk toward the entrance of the park, Touko walked beside him, still watching his face carefully.

"Jeez – I'm not an idiot, Touko."

"I know that! I spend as much time without human company as you do, you know. Cheren and Bianca are my good friends, and they always will be, but I wasn't good at being with them." Touko was still look up at him as they walked out the gates, and N was still staring forward with his eternally relaxed face. Occasionally she'd seen him angry – he could be touchy. But when he wasn't angry, he was this. A smirk on his lips, but a smile in his eyes. "Pokémon have been the only friends I've ever really counted on. But people can have friendships like that too." For a moment, his steps slowed, and he frowned.

"Something's different between us," he said suddenly. "You never used to talk to me like this." Biting her lip, Touko suddenly remembered the whole reason she'd been looking for him in the first place.

"Yeah, about that…" she murmured, looking down at her boots. "I treated you really badly back then. I'm so sorry, N. You were always kind to me, even though you didn't agree with me, but I couldn't set aside our differences for the sake of our friendship. I regret that so much."

"Um." Suddenly, N's frown deepened, and his head shot in the direction of a building that was sitting exactly where Touko could've sworn Route 4 should've started. "Hey – come on! You haven't been to Join Avenue, so let's go check it out."

"Join what?" A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her in the direction of what Touko could now see was a shopping mall where the desert should've been. "Wait! Aren't you going to say something?"

"There's something I _really_ want to show you," N said, his voice resuming its usual rapid pace. Touko rolled her eyes, taking the hint. "It's really cool! It makes me so excited just thinking about it!"

"Whatever…" Letting him drag her under the psychedelic ceiling of Join Avenue – a shining, sparkling street with fancy shops lining each side of the building. "Woah! What's that place?" Wide eyes fell on some kind of emporium, with flashing neon signs advertising the sale of bulk trainer items at a low price.

"N! Can I check that place out?" she gasped, as she saw a boxes of revives being sold for nothing. "That looks amazing."

"Boring!" he shot back, the smirk back on his lips, and he continued to drag her. "Seriously, the place I'm taking you is way better."

"It'd better be…" As they continued, Touko begged him to let her visit the training ring too, but again he dismissed it, until they came across a pink shop with a giant egg on the façade, and N finally slowed, releasing the girl's wrist, gesturing for her to follow. "This place looks really silly."

"Don't be pathetic," scorned N, walking up to the counter where the nurse at the counter gave him a warm smile. "I've come to collect my egg," he told her, and she went back into what appeared to be a nursery, before walking back out while holding a cream coloured egg with brown swirls.

"It's about to hatch," she said, holding it out. Taking it, N turned to Touko.

"Take it, Touko," he told her, a small smile on his lips. Slightly bewildered, the girl reached out and touched the egg. It was very warm. Carefully, she lifted it out of N's arms and held it gently against her chest, rubbing it slowly. Her eyes widened, as she felt it move against her. This was exciting. A Pokémon was about to be born. Slowly, the shell started to glow, before all the three could see was shining white in Touko's arms. Then, with a slight buzz, it began to form into a Pokémon. First, two long ears began to take shape, then a long, fluffy tail, and four little paws on four little legs. As the glow began to fade, the baby slowly began yawn, its little black nose nestled in the crook of her neck.

"It's an Eevee!" she gasped, stroking its mane gently with her fingers. Honestly, she couldn't tear her eyes away. A sweet creature was sleeping in her arms, taking its first ever breaths.

"I'll take your payment," the nurse said to N, as the young man took out his wallet and proceeded to pay the woman.

"That Eevee is yours now, Touko, if you can fit it in your party," N told her, looking at her with his strange eyes.

"I can – thank you."

x

"Your Pokémon looks happy," N told her. Touko shivered as she felt him touch her shoulder. Victini was out of its Pokéball, and it was playfully chasing after Eevee, who was clumsily stumbling around in the grass, but happy. "I'm glad you ended up making friends with Victini." Smiling, the girl looked back to the sun as it slowly descended behind the Pokémon Centre. As the light hit the atmosphere on the low angle, the clouds glowed orange and pink. It looked nice. "You know, your face really has changed. We aren't just kids anymore." For some reason, this made her shudder again, and her cheeks began to sting, and she turned her head away.

"You're weird…"

"Touko – I should have said this to you two years ago, but I want to thank you." As her eyes shot back to his, she felt a pang of surprise to see his lips downturned, and his eyes in pain. "You really changed my life, and opened my eyes to a new path. You're the reason that I can go on. That… thank you. For everything." Touko took a breath as if to say something, but her mind was numb. She hadn't realised that was how N felt. And now her feelings were beginning to concern her. She needed to touch him, somehow. But at the same time, she couldn't. Why was it suddenly so painful to be with him? His hand was still on her shoulder, sending tingles shooting through her body under her skin.

"N…"

"Now I should probably head off, because I was supposed to get to Castelia tonight for research purposes. Do you have a Xtransceiver?" he asked her, letting go of her and flipping an Xtransceiver out of his pocket.

"Yes of course I do." As the two exchanged their details, Touko felt something in her heart begin to bite. She spent two years searching for him. This wouldn't do. "It's not late, N. I haven't had enough for the deal I made." Looking up at her with his eyebrow raised, N sighed and thrust the device back into his pocket.

"Really, Touko?" Somehow, there was a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "We've been all over Nimbasa, been to a musical, played with our Pokémon. What else could you possibly need? By my calculations, this has been a day that we've spent together – I don't think that the evening was part of the deal."

"Please, N. I can take us out to dinner or something." It scared N slightly to see the desperation in Touko's eyes. She was almost begging him. It wasn't like her. "Is it so hard for you to accept that I actually missed you? I can't say goodbye yet." Giving yet another sigh, N turned his head away, his pale cheeks going a little pink.

"Is that what friends do? I've seen that families eat together, and couples. Friends can have dinner together, can they?" Clearly, N was avoiding the emotional minefield too.

"I think so… I don't care really."

"Okay. I guess… I missed you as well," he murmured, giving her a small smile. "I didn't think you could feel those things though." Though this usually would've annoyed her, this made Touko bite her lip. Because… that made him sound like his father.

"Everyone has feelings, N. What makes individuals unique is how they express them," she replied, climbing to her feet and taking out Victini's Pokéball. As she returned it, Eevee seemed to get a fright as its playmate vanished. Shaking her head, Touko went over and scooped it up in her arms.

"I meant to say 'show'. I'm sorry Touko – of course you can feel those things." Somewhat relieved, Touko walked up to him with the little Pokémon wriggling in her arms.

"It's fine. Now let's get some food."

x

"Admittedly, this is not what I expected…"

"What? You don't like curry?" Looking at him sideways, as Eevee continued to wriggle, Touko nudged him. "I wasn't going to take us anywhere fancy. I don't have any nice outfits."

"When I lived in the castle I was fed nothing but the finest food, but Hoenn themed takeaways aren't my idea of fine." Groaning, Touko stomped inside. If he didn't follow, she did not care at this point.

"Honestly, what a snob," she huffed, as she sensed him following her. "It'll be delicious." Looking up and down the menu, she chose and ordered a curry for each of them and some Pokémon food. N had already chosen a table by the window, where they could see only the bright colours of Nimbasa streaked across the blackness of the night. It was quite a contrast to the restaurant, which was bathed in a very warm light. Touko placed Eevee at her feet, where it played with the buckles of her boots, flicking them in its tiny paws. Leaning forward on her elbows, she gazed into N with large eyes. "Have you ever tried curry?" Staring back with a jaw as stiff as rock, N's eyes narrowed.

"No." Smirking, she leaned into him a little more. "I've never been to this part of town." By 'this part of town' he meant Hoenntown.

"Someone's been missing out," she teased, flicking her hair with her fingers. "Have you been to Hoenn? It's a beautiful country. I loved my time there. They have all sorts of food there, but they're also very good at curry."

"I didn't even know that there was such a thing as 'being good at curry'," he grizzled, as the waitress placed plates in front of them, before providing them both with a knife, fork and a spoon.

"So, N… how is it spending time in the world of people after spending most of your life with Pokémon?" she asked him, praying that it wasn't inappropriate.

"That's… a good question. Well I don't know if this is true… But I feel like as an observer of normal life rather being a participant, I can appreciate it more. One thing I've noticed with people, is that they take what they have for granted." Touko frowned.

"So you're saying that you don't have a normal life? Isn't that difficult?" She was barely keeping up with what he was saying, as he always spoke so quickly.

"Sometimes. I'm pretty happy, I guess. But I did make this deal with you out of some desire to feel like a part of life." As N paused for breath, Touko leaned back in her seat as a bowl of rice and another bowl of her buttery, tamato curry was set in front of her, and a bowl was put on the floor for Eevee. "You know. I want to do more than just learn from life. I want to experience it – all of it. And I can't do that just by watching."

"Okay…" He didn't even seem to notice that the food had arrived, even as she began to put some rice on her plate and pour across some curry. It sure smelled good.

"I am a little jealous of you, Touko. In a way, we're like opposites. You're always doing things, and living life, meeting people and Pokémon and really experiencing everything you can. But I have always liked maths, and theory, and things that are relevant to experiences while barely qualifying as experiences themselves. I don't just want to know things. Life is meant to be felt, and…" As his voice trailed away, and his eyes slowly fell down to the steaming food in front of him, he felt his stomach grumble. "I don't even know what curry tastes like."

"Then _try_ it," Touko told him, lifting her fork and taking another mouthful. Quietly lifting his own fork, he transferred the rice and curry to his plate, before timidly lifting a couple of grains of rice and a bit of chicken to his lips. As he opened his mouth and closed it around the food, his brow furrowed. "You don't like it?" Pulling the fork back out, he scooped up a larger portion and began to eat, still looking slightly annoyed.

"This is… incredibly good," he grumbled. "Don't look at me like that!" The girl in front of him was covering her mouth as she tried to hold back her laughter, shaking in her seat as she looked mirthfully up at him. "I'm accepting different ideas here."

"Yeah… reluctantly." Scowling, N looked out the window and continued eating. "N, you'll be fine. Just sit still for a while and enjoy how things are. If you want to experience life, then fall in love. Have a family. Be someone's friend. You don't need to travel around the world seeking thrills to live."

"I'm not sure I follow, Touko – I mean, didn't you leave too? Soon after I did, you disappeared as well to travel the world as well. Aren't those experiences important?" Touko froze slightly, her fork hovering over her plate as she stared at N.

"N – I left to find you." She could hardly believe her own words after she'd said them. N's eyes widened slightly, as his cheeks went red. "Because… I felt like I didn't deserve to experience life until I saw you again."

"But… that was two years ago…" he murmured, his eyes falling to his already half eaten meal. "What… kind of idiot would waste two years of their life just looking for me?"

"Well some people just don't know how to take a compliment," Touko growled, pushing her fork into the rice and leaving it there before folding her arms across her chest. "What kind of jerk would ignore a friend who is trying to right a wrong?"

"Okay, okay…" he grumbled back. "Thanks for the _compliment_. I'll admit; I have spent the last few months of my life regretting leaving. As I said earlier – I should've thanked you two years ago instead of just leaving like I did. So I have been looking for you too, though I had no plans to leave Unova again."

"Well _thank you_ for _caring_." The two ate their food mostly in silence, and by the time their plates were empty, all that had been said were a few comments on the food. As Touko paid, N was already walking out the door, his longing eyes staring out across the street. Scooping up Eevee, the girl jogged out after him. "N – wait!" The young man paused, turning to her slowly, regarding her with cool grey eyes. They widened slightly, however, as when they were at arm's length, Touko still didn't stop until her nose was only an inch from his lips. Her free hand flew out, grabbing his chin, and for a second N honestly did not know what to think, but she simply held his head to force eye contact. "I am _sorry_, N. I'm sorry for hating you. I'm sorry that I treated you the way I did two years ago. I regret it so much and I wish sometimes that you'd hate me for it, because I know that I'd deserve that. It's important to me that you know how I feel about this, N." The stare she fixed him with was so tense, and her blue eyes were burning into his, trying to find his answer somehow under his thick, dark lashes. But she couldn't find anything, and his lips were unmoving. No matter how much she pleaded him with her eyes, he just looked back with no expression. "What's _wrong _with you? Why won't you say anything? I just want to _help _you!" As his eyes darted away and his shoulders hunched, she gave his head a sharp shake. "What the hell is wrong with you?" As soon as he tore himself away, not even looking at her as he hung his head, Touko felt a pang of regret. Turning away from her, he started walking up the street without giving her another word. "W-wait! N! I'm so sorry – I didn't mean that!"

"Goodbye, Touko," he said, though she couldn't read anything in his voice. So frustrated that she could've exploded, she stomped in a circle before glaring after him as he disappeared around the corner.

"Oh good one, you stupid goddamn idiot!" she yelled, as Eevee started wriggling again. Even as her eyes began to sting with tears, she just ignored them. She knew she was constantly saying careless things, but this was right up there. "Oh stop ringing!" she hissed, whipping out her Xtransceiver and jabbing the answer button. "Wha- Touya?"

"You stupid idiot!" Blinking, Touko shook her head and looked down at the face of Touya – one of her closest friends – who had a shit eating grin smacked across his face. "You didn't tell me you were in Unov-" Suddenly he paused, his brown eyes widening slightly. "Hey – are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, wiping them away with her wrist before holding the device in front of her face again. "Wanna meet my new friend? This is Eevee." She held it in front of her Pokémon, who stared at Touya with big black eyes, before wriggling with its paws, trying to reach the Xtransceiver.

"Awwww so cute!" he cooed, clapping his hands together. She brought him back to her own visage. "Now Touko – get your butt over here tomorrow! I'm back home in Numeva so we are hanging out there tomorrow. And having a sleepover. Got it?"

"That sounds great. You're just the person I've been wanting," she told him, her eyes not quite able to meet his.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Touko sighed, looking back to him.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Hanging up, she slid the device into her bag before looking down at Eevee. "Well at least you enjoyed dinner," she whispered, flicking some food off its muzzle.

**Oh Touko, you tactless princess you. I've chosen to make N's eyes grey in this, although in the anime his eyes are blue. I haven't watched it yet - anyone know where I can, or even if I can? Bearing in mind that I live in New Zealand.**

**Anywho - more N soon enough, though the first lemon will require just a bit more patience.**

**Review, Favourite, Alert Subscription**

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**Because we love love**


	4. 4 - The Beginnings of Something New

**Okay :D Here's chapter four, with love**

**Evelyn x**

4

The Beginnings of Something New

Eyes narrowing, Touko peered through the window into Touya's house. The TV was on, showing Touya's favourite pro-wrestling show. She stomped back to the door and rapped her fists on the wooden frame for the third time, before crossing her arms and glaring at it.

"Vi!" Copying its master, the tiny Pokémon crossed its paws over its chest, fluttering by her shoulder.

"Well screw this!" she hissed, whipping around and marching back toward her own house. Suddenly, she turned back as she heard the handle click.

"No, Touko! Screw you!" Touya growled, shaking his head before beckoning for her to come in. Frowning at him, the girl complied.

"Nice to see you..? Hey!" she cried, as he grabbed her head, knuckling her on the skull. Pushing herself away, she pouted at him and readjusted her hat. "No."

"I was gonna give you a fright when you forced entry." Touko smirked, though it was more his lack of humour that got her.

"When I forced entry… of course." For a moment, she gazed at him. He was the same old Touya with warm brown eyes and possibly the friendliest smile in the world. Even after two years, and even after growing a few centimetres and looking older in every way – he hadn't changed at all in the ways that matter.

"You're outfit looks really nice," he said, noticing her eyes fade slightly as she looked at him. "It's different, but nice."

"Is nice really the word for it?" Touya shrugged.

"I don't know. You look good." Touko smiled back at him. Something was building in her heart, that she felt she couldn't keep in for much longer. It was threatening to explode through her smile.

"Oh Touya!" The boy gave a gasp as the girls arms suddenly wrapped around his sides and her chin landed on his shoulder. "I missed you so much, you know!" Steadying his breathing, Touya gave a small smile and moved his arms around her waist.

"Don't be dumb." Sniggering, Touko pulled away. Around her feet, Eevee was trying to nip at the buckles on her boot. "You never give anyone a second thought when you're with your Pokémon. I'd know – I'm just the same. Anyway – what do you wanna do?"

"Whatever's fine." As the two stepped inside and he shut the door, Touya rolled his eyes at her.

"You took ages just to get here. Couldn't you think of anything you wanted to do when you got here?" Touko gave a lazy shrug, throwing her gaze back to him as she tossed her bag onto the couch. Eevee immediately began sniffing and nibbling at the strap, its eyes bright with curiosity.

"Neither could you, or you wouldn't be asking."

"I thought of lots of things – but it's the evening now, and dinner's almost ready. There's no time to do half the stuff I thought of…" They plonked down onto the couch, and Touko gently lifted her little friend onto her lap, and Victini nestled itself on her shoulder. "Your Pokémon look a little tired."

"They're still a little frazzled from the Pokémon World Tournament – though these guys are just a little sleepy," she told him, glancing at his friendly face with tired blue eyes. "It's been a long couple of years."

"It has," Touya agreed. For a moment, the two locked gazes. In a way, Touya seemed tired too, or perhaps sad. Somehow, his brown eyes seemed dark, and his lips were downturned. "What's with the new outfit?"

"Well, I… I visited Elesa two days ago. You can guess the rest." The young man nodded in understanding, but the mirth that Touko expected was never shown in his eyes or his body language. He seemed… distracted. "Are you okay, Touya?"

"Uh-huh. Do you want me to heal your Pokémon?" he asked her, his eyes snapping back to hers without warning.

"The Pokémon Centre already did everything it could," she said. "But they use those auto healers loads at the PWT – which really slow down a proper recovery later on, even if it works in the short term."

"I know what you mean. But I have some delicious poffins from the Sinnoh region. Well I made them… but I learned how when I was there." Touko raised her eyebrows. "Do you know your Pokémons' favourite flavours?"

"Yeah – of course. I didn't know you went to Sinnoh." Touya shrugged, before getting to his feet and wandering over to the pantry, where he opened the door and pulled out a plastic container.

"You never asked, Touko." A pang of guilt hit her chest, and as she felt her cheeks burning up, she stared uncomfortably down at the snoozing Pokémon on her lap. As she felt him walk up to her, she felt a wave of relief to look up and see him smiling. "So we're gonna have so much to talk about now!"

"Sorry for not asking you. Sometimes I get caught in my own little world," she muttered, scratching Eevee under the chin as its eyes fluttered open and it gave a yawn.

"That's okay – I know you do. You hungry, little guy?" Victini looked up expectantly, only to be disappointed to see that Touya was talking to Eevee, offering it a blue poffin.

"Vi! Vi vi!" it protested, before it swooped down and snatched the poffin that the Eevee was timidly sniffing.

"H-hey! Victini!" gasped Touko, staring at the small creature as it wolfed down its stolen treat. "That was mean!" But Eevee didn't seem to mind – especially when Touya gave it another one.

"My guys mostly like dry and spicy food, so…" Touko raised her eyebrows at the minx with the full tummy.

"Victini loves dry food too…" Shaking his head, Touya was about to sit beside her, when the door clicked open, and the voice of his mother filled the room.

"Is Touko here yet?" Turning around in her seat, Touko gave the lady a wave as she came in through the front door holding a bag of groceries. "Oh hello dear," she said, a smile lighting her eyes. "Look at you! You look gorgeous. I'm just about to get dinner out of the oven."

"Thank you! And thank you. It's nice to see you to, Mrs. Black." Nodding to her, she disappeared into the kitchen, and they could hear her lifting the groceries onto the table. Touko glanced at Touya, who shrugged. "Shouldn't we help out?"

"I would, but you're here, and I'd rather hang out with you."

"Fair enough." Taking a slow breath, Touya reached down and picked up the television remote and put down the poffins, before turning to the TV and making the screen go black with a pop. Then, he plonked down beside her and gave another sigh. For a few minutes, Touko and Touya got caught up in a game with Eevee where every time it looked at them they'd put on goofy faces. But of course, the Pokémon just gave another yawn in the end and snuggled up tighter on Touko's lap.

"Where'd you get Eevee?" Biting her lip, Touko's eyes met his, and she felt her heart slow slightly.

"Uh… I kind of wanted to talk to you about that. But maybe after dinner." Touya's mouth opened slightly, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Dinner's ready!" his mum called to them, and his mouth snapped shut again. "I'll just bring it through."

"Thanks mum." As two steaming meals came into the room, Victini was recalled to its Pokéball, and Eevee was relocated to under the table (Touya gave it another poffin, too).

x

By the time Touya and Touko had eaten, done the dishes and thanked Mrs. Black for the meal, it was dark outside. But somehow, both felt too buzzed to stay indoors, so they took their Pokéballs and wandered down to the pier. As they continued to walk across the dewy grass, and as their shoes started to get damp, both cast their gazes toward the sky at the same moment, and for a while, they just stared up at the stars.

"I forgot how beautiful it was here," Touko murmured. Beside her, Touya dropped his head, before sending her a small smile.

"Yeah." Suddenly, Touko chuckled, sending her friend a mirthful grin.

"Last night, Eevee thought she could reach the stars and started pawing at them. She's quite adorable, really." Touya laughed too, as they reached the edge of the town, and subsequently, the pier that looked out across the sparkling sea. "And she looked so cute too when I tucked her up in the blanket I got her. That blanket was the reason I was late today."

"Oh really?" he asked her, as they sat down together and dangled their legs through the bars. It felt like they were walking on air. "What happened with the blanket?"

"Oh I just meant I had to buy one," Touko replied quickly, pulling out her Pokéballs. "Come on guys!" At that, Sawsbuck, Samurott, Braviary, Victini and Zoroark all burst out in red flashes, appearing on the velvety grass just near them. For a minute, they all looked a little bewildered, but soon enough they were exploring and discovering and doing all the things they always did when they were in a new place. Sawsbuck just ate the grass of course, and Samurott was clambering up onto the rail, looking down to the sea metres below them, considering the risk Touko knew it was seconds from taking. And sure enough, seconds later, her partner plunged off the rail and dove into the water, making a neat splash as it motored away. Braviary was soon to follow, as it jumped up onto the rail, before taking off into the air and chasing the Samurott. Zoroark just sat down in the grass and started picking at it, making Sawsbuck snort. Victini, of course, was just fluttering around every single thing in the immediate area, looking right into whatever or whoever it was with its curious blue eyes.

"Time to play, guys," Touya added, tossing out his own Pokéballs. This time, the Pokémon that appeared on the grass were his Emboar, Tyranitar, Nidoking, Salamence, Gengar and Scolipede. Touya had never really shared Touko's taste in the elegant Pokémon style – no. He was all toughness, and his Pokémon could give her ones a run for their money at times. Though, Touya wasn't really the trainer that Touko was. Emboar, Tyranitar and Nidoking immediately began wrestling, unsurprisingly, while Salamence took off to play with Braviary and Samurott. Gengar took to chasing Victini, while Scolipede just sat on the grass and began plucking it just like Zoroark had been. And of course, as soon as Scolipede started, Zoroark stopped and just started watching the wrestling match.

"So… have your Pokémon gotten much stronger since we last met?" Touko asked him – a question she always _had_ to ask old friends when she saw their Pokémon.

"Of course they have. But I am _not_ battling you," he replied, giving her a look of warning. "Last time we battled my Pokémon wouldn't even look at a Samurott without shuddering for months." Snickering, Touko shook her head and looked back out to the sea, where she could just see her Samurott breaching the ocean's surface in the distance. "And yours? My guess is yes."

"I thought they had. I thought I had gotten stronger but…" She sighed and looked down at her feet as they dangled high above the water. Touya's brow furrowed as he looked across at his friend in concern.

"But what?" She just shrugged, making him edge a little toward her. He'd never liked it when she was down.

"I met the new Champion, and we battled. It was the best battle I've had in years, but I was surprised when we drew." The young man frowned, looking down as well. "I've been a trainer far longer than she has… but anyway – she's a very cool person." Touko turned to him. "Have you met Rosa yet?"

"Uh… Yeah – she's alright. But she's just a can of Touko lite – don't forget that," he told her, giving her another one of his small smiles. He'd been doing that a lot lately. "You two are very different."

"Seriously? I thought… she seemed a lot like me, but with more confidence," the girl replied, still downcast. A pair of wide brown eyes shot to her, and Touya's jaw was completely dropped.

"Touko! You don't need… Just trust me… You're…" Blinking at him, she waited for her friend to finish his sentence, but it was coming slowly. "You know… It's not just about confidence… You're really… I think… never mind." Touko was about to snicker at him, but then something sitting in the back of her mind leapt forward quite suddenly.

"Oh! I was going to tell you how I got Eevee." Grimacing, Touya's eyes fell back to his shoes.

"Uh huh…"

"Well, N gave her to me!" Eyes snapping to hers, Touya frowned.

"N? Natural Harmonia? Gropius?" Smirking, Touko nodded.

"Who knew that was his full name? No wonder he shortened it… But I can't make fun of him." Lips curling, though not quite in disgust, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Why?"

"I don't know… I guess I feel guilty enough for things that I've said to him in the past." Touya shook his head.

"No, no. I meant why did he give you that Eevee?" Shrugging, the girl leant back, gripping the bars for support.

"He thought I'd like it. We spent the day together yesterday." He turned his head away.

"Okay. You sounded pretty upset last night. Do you need me to bash him around for you or something? Was that what you wanted to talk to me about?" An unexplainable pang hit her chest, and she bit her lip.

"No… I guess… I'll tell you soon." Beside her, she felt him give an irritated sigh.

"So… why did you come back to Unova? Did you get sick of travelling around or something? Or homesick?" Eyes widening slightly, she shot him a look of vague disbelief.

"You just changed the subject without changing the subject. Burn the witch." Touya shook his head sharply and looked back as if to say 'in what sense?'. "I feel so guilty for the way I treated N, because… one minute I was his friend, but the next I would say the most horrible things to him. I think… I hurt him a few too many times. It was only when I heard someone else saying it to him that I realised how wrong I was. So I came back to Unova to try to find him. I… actually left to find him too… and when he heard that… he called me an idiot for wasting two years of my life." Heart sinking somewhat, Touko found herself staring back down at her shoes. Beside her, Touya was silent. "I think… I admire N a lot. And I want him to accept my apology, so we can be friends. But when I tried to apologise to him yesterday, after two years of waiting, he… he just pretended I didn't say anything. I fucked things up when I lost my temper with him after that. I said 'what's wrong with you?' to him. Which was a horrible thing to say… Then he left. And… I think he hates me now. Which means… I really did waste the last two years of my life." Below her, the sea was gently churning, and she noticed Samurott in the corner of her eye crawling back onto the shore nearby. Beside her, she could hear through his breaths that Touya was trying to say something, but it took him at least a minute before saying anything at all.

"I'm sure it wasn't wasted. You saw the world, didn't you? And now you're home, and you can see how everything has changed since you left." Touko's lips were still. "You know, before you leave, you should make an effort to see everyone. And to get to know Rosa better."

"That's…" Slowly, Touko looked over to her friend with her soft blue eyes. "That's actually quite a good idea."

"Call her now."

"Seriously?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow. When Touya nodded at her, she shrugged and reached into her bag and grabbed her Xtransceiver.

"Rosa has a couple of powerful trainer friends, who I've met personally – Nate and Hugh." Touko raised her eyebrows at him. "It can hardly hurt to meet them, especially when good battles are few and far between."

"Great. I'll see if I can organise some kind of get together." She jabbed the number on her phone with her thumb, and it started to automatically dial, before the Xtransceiver quietly started ringing as they waited for her to pick up. Soon enough, there was a short pip, and Rosa's soft face appeared on the screen of the device. As soon as she saw who it was, the younger girl's bright blue eyes widened.

"Oh! Touko. What's going on?" she asked her, a wide grin on her face.

"Not much – I'm just sitting here with Touya." Grinning back, Touya leaned over her shoulder and gave Rosa a wave.

"You two are friends?" she squeaked. "That's so perfect! You two are so gorgeous!" Both on the Numeva end sniggered at this.

"Well… Touya had this really good idea that we should all meet up soon. You know – so we all know each other." Rosa raised her eyebrows. "He also said your friends Nate and Hugh could come too."

"Hell yes that's a good idea. Are you free tomorrow?" Taken aback by this, Touko blinked.

"Uh… yeah. We are."

"Cool. Me, Hugh and Nate are taking a break at Humilau with the Pokémon." Nodding slowly, she gave Rosa a smirk.

"Nice."

"Yeah it is. By any chance, do you know Bianca and Cheren? I know Touya will – but they should come too." When was this girl going to stop giving her all these surprises?

"Of course I know them! They're my best friends!" Behind her, she felt Touya shaking his head. "I mean, so is Touya…"

"Perfect! Could you call them? I've gotta go and unblock the toilet – my Whimsicott thinks it's pretty funny right about now…" Touya and Touko chuckled simultaneously.

"Okay. We'll be over tomorrow morning." As the actress popped off the screen, Touko flicked down and added both Cheren and Bianca's contacts to her list before calling them. As they rang, Cheren was – of course – the first to answer.

"Oh Touko!" he cried almost immediately, but it wasn't fast enough for her to notice how bored he had looked before he knew who it was. "What happened to you? You look… wow!" Blushing slightly, Touko shook her head.

"I'm in Unova at the moment, and so is Touya," she told him, look at him through her fingers.

"I know that. Elesa told me, and I've told Bianca." Suddenly, his dark eyes turned serious. "You'd better be calling to arrange a meeting. I have not seen you face to face for two years, and I'm getting sick of squinting at you through the Xtransceiver." Just as he finished speaking, there was another pip and Bianca appeared on the other screen.

"Oh _hey_ Touko!" she gasped, her green eyes sparking with excitement. "It's been a while. You're in Unova right? Gosh you look so good right now!"

"Hi Bianca!" Touya and Touko chorused.

"Hey," Cheren added, a small smile on his lips. "I need you to help me convince Touko to meet up with us before she runs off again."

"Oh..?" Frowning slightly, Bianca tilted her head as Touko shook hers.

"It's fine, Cheren. We're meeting Rosa, Hugh and Nate tomorrow morning for some kind of meeting at Humilau. You two should come too," she told them, her gentle lips curved into a wide smile.

"Rosa? You met _Rosa_?" Bianca gasped, cutting over Cheren as he opened his mouth to speak. "She is such a sweet girl."

"She's nice, yeah," Touko agreed, a little tired of this back and forth. "So what do you guys think?"

"Are you kidding?" she shrieked, once again cutting across the dark haired gym leader. "I've been dying to see you. I won't miss it for _anything_!" Chuckling, Touko nodded.

"Fab. Cheren?" Sighing, the boy gave a nod.

"Of course I'll come." A grin cracked across Touya's face as he leant across Touya's shoulder.

"Awesome! We'll see you guys tomorrow!" As they all gave each other a short wave through the Xtransceiver, Touko hit end call and closed the device in her hand. For some reason, something hit her in the back of her mind. N was one of her closest friends in a way, but he was always going to be excluded from things like this. His views made him different. "Uh… Touko – are you listening to me?" Blinking, she looked around to Touya with wide eyes.

"Pardon?" Shaking his head, the boy got to his feet.

"I said it's getting cold. We should get to bed." Touko nodded, standing up as well. Just as she did, her dripping wet Samurott waddled across the grass toward her and her Braviary glided gently onto the rail, cawing at her. One by one, she recalled her Pokémon, saying goodbye to them as Touya did the same with his. "Believe me, Touko – you haven't wasted the last two years of your life," he told her, his face straight. "N is an idiot for walking away." Touko smirked, putting a hand on her hip.

"You don't like him much, do you?" she teased, but Touya didn't smile.

"Come on. Let's get inside."

x

Wriggling around, then rolling onto her stomach, Touko smirked down at Touya. "You comfortable down there?" she asked him, as he rolled his eyes.

"That's _my_ bed and I can kick you out." The two grinned cheekily for a while.

"Where've you been the last while, Touya?" she asked him. "I didn't know you even left Unova…"

"Of course you didn't – I didn't tell you," he replied, his brown eyes large as they strained to see her in the dark. "I've been to Hoenn for a while. I met Steven Stone there – the prior Champion of Hoenn."

"I went to Hoenn for a while, but I never met him," Touko told him, nestling her chin into her hands.

"He was really nice, and scarily strong. We had a Pokémon battle, but he beat me."

"Ouch." As the memories started flooding back, the boy gave her a smile.

"He helped me catch Bagon at Meteor Falls, which was probably the hardest to catch of all my new Pokémon. I got the rest of them – Gastly, Larvitar and Nidoran in the Kanto region. Did you ever visit the Seveii Islands?" Pondering, her eyes moved to the ceiling.

"Uh… no I didn't. I specifically went to cities that had been affected by Team Rocket. I'd heard that they'd been to the islands, but a guy I met there – Red – said there wasn't much left," she replied, looking back down at him.

"Team Rocket? Is that like Team Plasma?" Touya asked her, frowning.

"They stole Pokémon, but they did it out of disrespect for the Pokémon, not the trainers."

"Nasty." Exchanging disapproving looks, the two shook their heads. "Well… after Hoenn I went to Sinnoh, then came back to Unova."

"Oh – Sinnoh. That's somewhere I missed," she told him, her eyes widening. Touya gasped at her.

"That was my favourite region! It has the best terrain by far. And the best battle frontier. I met the Tower Tycoon there – Palmer. He helped me buff up my Pokémon." Looking around, Touya lowered his voice. "Though, he was a real weirdo… He had way too much energy for an old guy."

"Did he? Hm," Touko smirked, though in her heart she was feeling more envious than curious. "Huh?" Looking up at her bag on the couch across the room, she put a hand to her ear. It was ringing. "Oh… My Xtransceiver…" Sighing, Touya leant back and grabbed her bag, chucking it to her. Touko caught it and shoved her hand into the pocket where she kept her important items, until she felt the vibrating device. She gently flicked it open, and her heart skipped when she saw the face at the other end. The gentle, lopsided smile and calm eyes stared into her, and Touko honestly felt like she was witnessing a miracle. N called her? Even after what happened? "Um!" she gasped, scrambling out of her sleeping bag and clambering out of her bed.

"Were you asleep? I'm sorry," he said quickly, scratching the back of his head. "I can call later if it's a bad time."

"No, it's fine," she murmured, leaving Touya staring after her as she padded across the room and opened the door out into the hallway. She wasn't going to take this call in front of him, especially if it meant she might get emotional. Closing the door behind her, Touko walked straight toward the bathroom and locked herself in, before sitting herself down on the rim of the bathtub.

"Okay…" N said slowly, not sure what to make of this change of scenery.

"I'm at Touya's, in Numeva," she murmured. "My mum's away, unfortunately." He frowned as he gave her a look of sympathy.

"That's too bad, because I guess you haven't seen her in a while, Touko." She shrugged.

"I call her all the time, and I'll see her before I leave."

"Okay…" For a moment, N looked concerned, diverting his gaze away, but then he looked back up at her with piercing grey eyes. "I've called you because I need your help with something that's important to me. You might not like it… but… I have to ask you." Pausing slightly, the girl tilted her head.

"What's wrong?" she asked him slowly, her eyebrows knitting together.

"I know that your truths and ideals were stronger than mine, and I accept now that people and Pokémon can live together, but…" The young man bit his lip, as his eyes narrowed. "I've been studying people and Pokémon for a while now, and I know that it'd be better if people didn't keep their Pokémon trapped in Pokéballs. I need you to help me change the way trainers keep their Pokémon." Touko frowned. It seemed slightly ridiculous to try to change everyone's attitude toward catching and keeping Pokémon. But… she'd been there before. She'd seen it happen.

"That… might not be as crazy as it sounds," she muttered, as a grin spread across N's pale face. "I'll consider it."

"Really?" N gasped, almost laughing in astonishment. "I was sure you'd say no."

"Well… I don't know how necessary Pokéballs are, and…" For a moment, her voice seemed to trail away and her eyes grew distant. "We changed the world once, N. We were the chosen heroes, and both of us made a difference. But… since fulfilling my destiny with you… I feel so empty. I don't know what to do with myself." Taking a deep breath, she looked down at him to see that his usually relaxed eyes were tense as he stared at her.

"Yes. I think… I've lost my sense of purpose as well," he muttered, his cap covering his eyes as he lowered his head. "Things have changed so much here, and I feel like what we did is already being forgotten."

"Especially with Rosa as the new Champion," Touko added. "The whole country is in love with her – probably because she is a really amazing person. She was the one who helped me find you, in the end." N raised his eyebrows.

"Did she? Yeah – she's really incredible." Touko frowned. For a moment, N spaced out, but then suddenly his eyes widened. "Wait – you met Rosa? Oh cool!"

"Again?" she grumbled. It was fine the first couple of times, but this was getting tedious.

"I was honoured to meet her. You two would've been great together," N said, the smile on his lips getting larger and larger. Suddenly, something started to burn in her chest. Rosa. The pretty, talented and friendly trainer. N's only other friend. Not Touko. "You know, she probably could've been the hero herself – but you got there first. I wouldn't have known who to pick."

"Well you would've picked Rosa, of course," she said, her bitterness lashing at him like tongues of fire. "I mean, she is a famous actress on top of everything else. She's the perfect hero, really." Leaning back in surprise, N's smile faded. She could see him take a sudden, slow breath, and his eyes widened at her, but he still said nothing. He only stared at her, as his cheeks became dusted with pink. Then that pink quickly became red, as N looked desperately around him, before opting to stare at the floor.

"Um…" he mumbled, his voice suddenly hoarse. "Could we meet up tomorrow afternoon? In Castelia? I… want to… spend more time with you… I don't want to forget how that feels." Touko just glared at him, until he finally lifted his eyes to meet hers. Breathing heavily out her nose, she flicked her hair and turned her head away from him. "Uh…"

"Fine. Whatever," she grumbled, giving him one last glare before snapping the device shut and dropping her face into her hands. She felt a little strange. With a queasy stomach, Touko lifted her legs over the edge of the bath and she climbed in, tucking her knees under her chin as she sat there in the cold. A minute ago, she really liked Rosa. But now… it felt different. N always seemed to make things different.

**It's called jealousy, Touko, and it's an ugly emotion.**

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	5. 5 - Beautiful Thing

**Hi there - chapter 5. I promise I will edit these one day :D Just not today :P**

**Anyway, here's chapter 5! Hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I did!**

5

Beautiful Thing

"Touko…" a gentle voice whispered. Shifting slightly, Touko shivered as she felt warm fingertips brushing her chin, clasping it gently. Her eyes still shut tight, she reached out with her hands to feel a pair of broad shoulders hanging over her, and as she moved her hands across the figure's back her fingers slipped into a thick mane of soft hair, and she gripped it when she felt cool breath against her lips. "Touko…" And then they touched.

"Are you awake?" When her eyes finally fluttered open, she was surprised that her fingers were resting on her mouth. And even more surprised that Touya was leaning over her, his brown eyes wide as she blinked up at him. "It's still kind of early, but we need to go soon."

"Uh…" she muttered, pulling away her hand. "Yeah."

X

"Gosh, I love this place," Touya hyped, leaping off the back of his Salamence and rubbing it under the chin. Smirking at him, Touko slid off Braviary's back and landed on the soft sand, which she knew was going to inevitably find its way into her boots.

"It is pretty here," she agreed, shading her eyes as she looked out across the glistening coral blue sea. They'd landed on a beach just near to the first few bungalows which were hanging over the sparkling lagoon. "So which place did she say? House number 3, near the red and blue life rings."

"Yeah that's the one," Touya said, as the two trainers returned their Pokémon to their individual Pokéballs. With little more to say, they wandered across the beachfront and enjoyed the warm air as they made their way toward the various boardwalks. From there, it took a little finding – the first two bungalows were located on a single boardwalk, and they walked all the way across the edge of the lagoon before they realised that the third bungalow was on the opposite walkway on the western edge. "Oh yeah – there are the life things," she said, pointing to the rings hanging on the wooden legs.

"And – house number 3," Touya added, tapping his knuckle on the gold 3 on the dark wooden door, as he raised an eyebrow at his friend. Smirking, he rapped on the door.

"Who is iiiit?" At once, both trainers eyes widened at the familiar sounding voice, and as the door swung open, they gasped.

"Bianca!" Touko choked, stumbling forward and throwing her arms around the blonde.

"Touko!" she squealed back, squeezing her tightly. As the two released each other, both staring into each other's' equally bright eyes, they gave a short burst of laughter. "You look totally chic!"

"Thanks," she breathed, her hand on her chest. "And you're… you're on time, Bianca!"

"I know!" Sighing, Touya pushed past them and stepped into the large, comfortable looking room. "It's pretty weird, huh? Anyway – why don't you come in?" A natural smile on Touko's often serious face, the girl stepped inside too, taking in her surroundings in a brief glance around the room. Across the room, a large set of windows looked out across the lagoon, and a section of the floor was glass – below the coffee table – where coloured fish could be seen swimming around in the shallow, cerulean blue water. A television set was on the far wall, but it was switched off, and the couch seemed to have been moved to the coffee table. A couple more doors seemed to lead off in other directions.

"Hey Touko!" came the voice of Rosa, who was sitting on the couch with a young man who had his arm wrapped around her waist. As soon as she saw the sharp eyed, blue haired man with his white arm cradling the person who was unmistakably his girlfriend, Touko felt her heart lift for some odd reason.

"Uh… hi," she replied, grinning at her new friend as the boy planted a kiss on the girl's cheek.

"Come sit down you three," Rosa said, gesturing to another sofa and a soft chair. The sofa was already occupied by a smug looking teenaged male, who wore a red visor and had a hairdo that was almost as scruffy as the boyfriend's. When he smiled up at Touko, she couldn't help but think that the brunet, with his deep brown eyes, looked a lot like Touya. But as she went to sit with him, his eyes didn't follow her, and as she hesitated, Bianca moved past her and sat down beside him. Blinking at them both, she slowly sat down beside Bianca, still staring as she felt Touya sit down beside him.

"Who are you guys?" Touko's eyes snapped to the source of the drawl – the blue haired boy with the sharp red eyes. She noticed that this made Rosa blush and look almost apologetically to her friends.

"Um… guys… this is Hugh," she murmured, her eyes fluttering around the room. Touko frowned. "And… uh… that young spunk there is Nate."

"Hey," he said, his warm eyes greeting everyone individually. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Bianca," Bianca added, a small smile on her lips.

"Yeah, we know," Nate sniggered, resting his head back in his arms.

"I'm Touko White," Touko said, glancing at Hugh before staring down at her dark boots. A small murmur of 'hi Touko' from Nate hardly boosted her confidence. Everyone knew each other, except no one really knew her. "Um," she muttered, glancing up at everyone. "Thanks for meeting here. I've really wanted to meet you all." Rosa smiled and opened her mouth to answer, but she was cut short as there was a knock at the door. As Touya was closest, he wrenched himself from the comfortable cream couch and walked up to the door, pulling it open.

"Hey, Touya," Cheren smiled, as he stepped into the room. For a moment, Touko could only stare at him, her mouth slightly open. She knew he'd changed from seeing him through the Xtransceiver – but now that she was seeing him in person, she felt her breath catch in her throat. Since when was he gorgeous? In fact, everyone seemed ecstatic to see him. That was nothing knew, though – he'd always been cool without having to try. "It's great to see you, Touko!" Cheeks flushing with red, the girl's eyes widened.

"Cheren!" she cried, jumping off the couch before running to the young man and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Tutting, Cheren gave her a brief squeeze before pulling out of the hug.

"Hey everyone," he said, nodding to his friends. When Touko and Touya sat back down, the couch was totally full, so Cheren frowned, walking around to sit next to the couple. "So is everyone introduced now?"

"Yup," Rosa replied, sucking her bottom lip.

"Have we all exchanged numbers?" he asked her, and she glanced down at Hugh. Sighing, the blue haired boy flicked his hand.

"Why don't we just pass around Touko's Xtransceiver until she's got everyone's number, and we've all got hers," he drawled, looking into to Touko with a piercing stare. "That's just me and Nate, I'm guessing."

"Uh… yeah," Touko murmured, pulling out the device and handing it to Nate. "Good thinking, Cheren." For a moment, everyone seemed to be exchanging glances in silence. Her own eyes met Nate's a couple of times – probably because she kept thinking how much he looked like Touya, even though they were clearly different. But as the seconds of silence progressed into minutes, it dawned on her that she was the one who'd technically organised this, and nothing was happening.

"So, Touko – did you think of maybe, you know… inviting N?" Six set of eyes shot to Rosa at once, and the girl blushed. So did Touko, as her mind suddenly began to turn back to reasons not to like the new Champion.

"Uh… Yeah, I thought of it," she replied, her voice hoarse. "But who are we kidding? He'd just ruin the conversation if we tried to talk about Pokémon by making us all feel guilty. He can be a bit of a clot…" A smile broke across Rosa's lips.

"Well this is a room full of trainers. You're probably right," she chuckled, tucking a ribbon of hair behind her ear.

"N again?" Touya hissed. "Do people keep forgetting who he is?" Frowning, Touko turned to him.

"We know, Touya," Bianca said. The blonde was looking a bit knackered.

"Oh – speaking of N," Touko burst out, turning to face the others, "he's made a really interesting proposal. He thinks people and Pokémon would be better off without Pokéballs."

"Seriously?" Hugh scoffed, though clearly his opinion wasn't shared with the others, as they looked thoughtfully across at the eldest brunette. "Well maybe. I don't know… Let her finish!" Rosa seemed to giggle slightly, looking across at her boyfriend with a light blush dusted on her pale cheeks.

"That's… are you suggesting some kind of movement, Touko?" Nate said slowly, frowning pensively at her.

"Only if people agree that N is right, and Pokéballs aren't needed," she said, looking around the room at them all (and slightly pleased to be at the centre of attention).

"I can add something here!" Touya exclaimed suddenly, patting his friend roughly on the back. "Professor Elm. I met him in the Johto region – and he has been studying the effect of having Pokémon walk around with their trainers instead of keeping them in Pokéballs, and the Champion of the Johto region was one of the test subjects. His tests have been showing that Pokémon consistently get along with their trainers more without Pokéballs than with."

"What, really?" Rosa gasped, her blue eyes open wide. "That's not okay – I don't want to use Pokéballs if it comes between me and my Pokémon. We don't need them for the sake of a little convenience."

"Oh yeah but there's more to it than that," Bianca stated, adjusting her glasses. At that moment, Touko couldn't help but notice that Nate was looking at the blonde with more than a normal amount of affection. "Ethically, Pokéballs symbolise something less than friendship. This was probably one of the points Team Plasma made that has a little more merit – it suggests that when you put them in a Pokéball that 'I've caught you, and now you are mine.' Friends don't own one another, so we can hardly preach to people like N that trainers are friends with their Pokémon while we use Pokéballs."

"Well, I'm still friends with my Pokémon," Rosa said, pouting slightly, but Hugh shook his head.

"No, silly. That's what it symbolises. It's not unconditional," he told her. Touko couldn't help but hear his comment as somewhat patronising.

"Yeah, okay," Rosa sighed, turning away from him.

"I'm prepared to help with this," Cheren said, drawing attention away from the minor domestic. "I'd rather _not_ work with N but if this group had regular meetings and we had some kind of campaign or direct action running to spread this concept, I'd be very interested. The thing is… as great as it is being a gym leader, it'd be fantastic to have some kind of further directive."

"Oh yeah! Let's make this real, guys!" Rosa said, pumping her fist. There was a general buzz of agreement, and Cheren leaned back in his seat with a smile on his lips.

"Skilled trainers like us can really make a difference," he said, looking into Touko with his calming eyes. As the morning continued, the group broke off into smaller conversations, and despite her lack of social prowess, Touko was quite pleased that she managed to have a decent conversation with everyone in the room – even Hugh. He turned out to be quite nice – just a bit of a narcissist. Though it was hard finding time to talk to Rosa and Cheren, because they seemed to be engrossed in their own conversation which seemed to be about films, from what Touko could gather. And Bianca seemed a little flustered, making Touko wonder if Bianca was the only person that Nate hadn't been talking to. It seemed pretty silly to her that she didn't even seem to realise that she had feelings for Nate, but Bianca was just a bit like that. For some reason, food seemed to appear on the coffee table, but Touko never noticed it arriving, or notice that she ate half a plate of sandwiches. Things just seemed to be moving quickly. _I suppose I'm enjoying myself…?_

"Hey, Touko." An entire sandwich stuffed into her mouth, the girl turned to face Touya with big eyes. The boy raised an eyebrow, before he shook his head. "You're crazy, sometimes. But I was going to mention – there's a free bungalow, so we could stay here for the night if I book it now." For a moment, the girl just stared back like he'd just walked through a wall. "What?"

"Oh fuck!" she cursed, muffled by the sandwich. Gulping, she shook her head in an overly large gesture. "Sorry, but I can't." A look of disappointment shadowed the boy's bright eyes, and his gaze fell to the floor. "I said I'd meet N this evening in Castelia to talk about his idea. I should've gone ages ago!" Not even noticing her friend's defeated expression, she whipped around and grabbed her bag up from the sofa where she'd left it.

"I'll walk you to the Pokémon Centre," Rosa called, giving her a wave from the window where she was still standing with Cheren.

"Thanks, Rosa." She turned to the others. "It was nice to meet you – Nate, Hugh."

"Sure," Hugh said with a grin on his often bored face. Nate just gave her a charming smile and a short nod.

"See you guys."

"Bye!" Looping her arm around Touko's, Rosa led her out of the door and shut it behind them. By now, the air was stifling, and both girls gasped as they stepped out.

"Yikes… I'll have to go for a swim," the Champion smirked, glancing up at her taller friend. Touko smiled back, and they slowly started to walk up the boardwalk.

"So… you and Hugh?" Touko teased, winking at the actress.

"Oh." Rosa blushed, looking down at her feet. "He's an old friend. He's an amazing person." Touko frowned.

"What's wrong?" Shaking her head, Rosa seemed to need to take a moment to collect her words before she could start her reply.

"It's… not that easy going out with a guy who treats me like I'm weak, or second to him," she murmured. "At least I know that's not how he thinks of me. He just talks like that a lot." Touko wasn't sure what to say to this, so she just waited for Rosa to continue. "Can we talk about something else? Like… you and N?" At that moment, Touko froze and her jaw hit boardwalk.

"What?" she gasped, her cheeks burning ferociously as she stared after Rosa, who was now laughing. "There's nothing! We're just friends."

"I just thought you might like him, from the way you act," she smirked, but Touko only glared.

"I don't care about crushes and boyfriends and things like that, Rosa." Rosa's smile faded as the girl folded her arms.

"I'm sorry, Touko. Please don't be angry," she said in a calm voice. Huffing, Touko twisted around, her cheeks still a very deep red.

"I don't know what to think," she murmured, staring into the clear blue lagoon. "We do get along, but I get frustrated by him so easily. I just want to apologise for the way I treated him."

"Why?" Touko sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't know." Her voice was unexpectedly soft all of a sudden. "I want to be closer to him. He hasn't… got anyone but his Pokémon and his sisters. I want him to care about whether… about whether I care."

"He probably does," Rosa told her with sympathetic eyes.

"No he doesn't. He told me himself that he thinks I was an idiot to look for him for so long…" Her shoulders slumped forward. "You're right. I do have feelings for him. And I was laughing to myself earlier because I thought Bianca was being dense…" It was a strange realisation. It didn't slam into her like a bolt out of the blue – it was more like a dull thud from a wet flannel. Probably because it was more of an admission than a realisation.

"You mean her and Nate?" Rosa laughed. "Nate's a gentleman, but he isn't good at expressing his feelings. It's difficult to watch them, actually." Shaking her head, Touko let out a heavy breath. She wanted N. Where the hell did that come from? She'd even been jealous, and…

"I am so dumb… I had a dream that N kissed me this morning," she grumbled. This whole situation was not fun. "Then I forgot as soon as I woke up."

"Okay," Rosa said slowly. "Listen, Touko… I'm not in the business of knowing what's going on in N's head. He is normal on the outside for sure – but you don't have to talk to him long before he closes up and won't let you in any further. But trust me when I say – you're better off telling him how you feel than leaving it. Otherwise, you might lose your chance."

"Yeah, well… The same goes for you with Hugh," Touko replied, and a small smile found its way to Rosa's lips.

"Come on, already," she smirked, and Touko fell into step beside her as they made their way across the remaining walkway, then up the steps and onto the grass.

"I'm going to head off." It was already midday, and it was a long flight to Castelia. As Rosa nodded, Touko looked into the girl's eyes. "Thanks. I mean… If you weren't blunt with me, I'd probably have left Unova without realising and then I really would've missed my chance."

"That's fine," Rosa replied with a sympathetic smile. "Sometimes you need to hear something out loud to understand it. Just make sure you tell him."

"Don't worry – I will. I'm not discreet or patient." Chuckling, Rosa wrapped her arms over Touko's shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"Good luck." As the two drew away from the hug, both were beaming, and Touko seemed almost reluctant when she took out Braviary's ball and released the Pokémon inside.

"You too!" she laughed, as her Pokémon stretched its wings.

"And you better let me know how it goes!" Rosa shouted back, as Touko jumped on its back and Braviary leaned forward, preparing for take-off. "Or else."

"Can we fly to Castelia City? I need to meet N," she told it, and it cawed, before dashing forward, giving the occasional flap of its wings when the wind caught it and it lifted into the air. "Bye!" she shouted to Rosa, as she was flapped up into the air at high speeds, but she was already a dot on the grass by the shrinking turquoise lagoon.

X

By the time they were heading over Route 4, it was already mid-afternoon, but even though she was on time, she knew it was going to take ages to find his flat in the city, even if she rode Sawsbuck. Below her, she could see rows of buildings in the desert that never used to be there. It was like a whole new town was forming to make Castelia and Nimbasa a super city. As she saw the barrier approaching, she patted Braviary. "We should land here," she told it. Gripping it tightly, she waited for it to lean back and start beating its wings to land, but it never got that far. She just caught the sound of something whizzing, and before she knew what was happening, Braviary was suddenly slammed into by something solid.

"Caaaaw!" it cried, as it began spinning down toward the ground. Heart pounding, Touko shrieked as her fingers slipped away from its feathers and they were suddenly falling. As the ground raced toward her, she didn't even have time to think before she hit it, and everything went black.

"Bra… Braviary…"

X

"Ugh…" Touko could feel herself blinking, but all she could see was a blur. She was lying down, and something was wrapped around her tightly, but she couldn't see a thing. Her head was too heavy for her neck to lift, and when she strained she could feel a painful prickle on her arm. For some reason, her mind felt cloudy, but she still focussed, trying to find her last memory. Her heart panged. That's right – she'd been thinking about N recently. The man she loved. That didn't explain why she'd been unconscious though, or why she felt so groggy. Hadn't… she flown to visit him? She had. She could remember getting onto Braviary's back and saying goodbye to Rosa, and she remembered enjoying flying over Unova's beautiful landscapes. So by this point, she should be in Castelia, but she wasn't… because she never got there. "Smack Down…" she mumbled. "Uh! Braviary!" This time, she didn't care if her head was heavy, and she tried to sit up, but even though she could lift her torso, her arms and legs still felt stuck to the bed. When she blinked down at her body, she felt her vision wavering. But there was no mistake. Shaking, she lowered herself back down. She was… tied… to the bed. Restraints were locked over her ankles and wrists. Someone… planned all of this. And that prickle in her arm… She looked up and saw a pressure bag with fluid going down a pipe, through a needle and into her arm. A sedative would explain the desperate need to close her eyes. But she couldn't, because her heart was racing. "Help!" she screamed, shaking in her restraints, but she felt so weak. Sweat began to roll down her forehead, and Touko knew she was beginning to panic. "Help! Someone help me!"

"Hello, Touko White." Touko froze. "Look at me, Touko," the voice requested. Whoever it was was male, and spoke very softly. Tilting her head to the right, she squinted into the shadows.

"Who… are you?" she rasped. A dark figure shifted, before moving slowly out into the light. The man had dark hair, but she couldn't see his face. He seemed to be wearing a medical face mask, and over that all she could see was a pair of dark eyes. "I don't know you…"

"Who I am isn't important," he slurred. "All that matters is you. Beautiful Touko." As the man approached the bed, the terrified girl strained away from him, but as they both knew well, she wasn't going anywhere.

"Wh… what do you want?" she asked him, but she already had a notion. "You better not touch me!"

"I'm glad I finally have you where I want you," he hissed, his eyes suddenly turning mean. "I've been after you for two years, beautiful girl. And now I've got you! Two years ago, Touko. You remember, don't you? When you and your slaves sealed the fate of Pokémon forever!" Taking a slow breath, Touko's widened.

"You're an extremist?" Suddenly, she gasped and shuddered as he ran a finger across her neck, making the sick rise in her stomach.

"You abuse Pokémon, and now I'm going to abuse you," he purred, as the girl hiccoughed, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Don't touch me. You can't get away with it," she sobbed, still straining away from him. Her mind was racing. She didn't want this man anywhere near her. She wanted N… She wanted her Pokémon. "What've you done to my Pokémon?"

"They're in that drawer," he told her, gesturing across the room to a set of cabinets and drawers. "But you're not going near them." As he said this, Touko noticed that he was holding a Pokéball in his fingertips. "Now… It's time to cause some sufferance." Suddenly, he pushed the button on the ball and released a Pokémon onto her stomach. She could barely see it as it materialised, but it was small. It was only once it raised its blue barbed tail that she realised what it was. "Skorupi – use Toxic. And take your time – make sure you poison her somewhere that can spread through her in the most painful way." As heart pounded, the man turned and began to walk.

"No! Wait! Please don't do this!" she screamed, as the man disappeared around the corner. "Wait!" As his footsteps faded away, her eyes shot down to the scorpion-like Pokémon that was wandering up her chest. "Help! Help me please somebody help me!" Every part of her was squirming and fidgeting, trying to get out of the restraints so she could protect herself, but as Skorupi snapped its claws, she knew she was helpless. Panting heavily, she froze as she saw it pause, raising its tail. And then it struck her neck. As her vision flashed different colours, she could barely even hear herself screaming. She was still screaming, and straining as hard as she could when the Skorupi jumped off her body, and near her she could see something else emerging from the shadows. A Bisharp, which rested its scalpels directly on the skin of her arm. "Oh god somebody save me! Help! Heeeelp!" She had no idea how fast her heart was beating, but it was sending the poison through her body so quickly that her body felt as though it was on fire. And the sedative… she could feel her head spinning faster and faster, and her vision began to fade, just as Bisharp looked around quickly and vanished back into darkness. Footsteps. She could hear footsteps running toward her.

"Touko!" From behind the door, N had no idea what was happening, but she knew that Touko wasn't screaming anymore. As his heart began to panic, he threw his strongest kick at the door, shattering the lock and sending it flying open. The first thing he saw was his best friend strapped down on some kind of hospital bed, completely unconscious. Then he saw the needle feeding some unknown clear fluid into her blood. "Oh… Touko!" Heart pounding, he ran straight to her and ripped the needle out of her arm and started undoing each of her restraints. "Wake up!" he growled, shaking her shoulders. "Please wake up, Touko! Wake up!"

"My… Pokémon…" Grey eyes widening, N glanced around.

"Where are they?" As he lifted her shoulders, her head lolled back, and her eyelids fluttered. "Touko!"

"Drawer…" Resting her back down, N dashed to the cabinets and began to tear everything open, until he reached a drawer with her bag and six Pokéballs inside. Her Braviary was waiting for them outside, so he knew one of them had to be empty. Regardless, he grabbed them and shoved them in his pocket and slung the bag over his shoulder before going back to the bed. Brushing the hair out of her mouth, he tucked one arm under her neck and hooked the other under her legs, lifting her gently into his arms.

"Let's get the hell out of here…" Still panting, N carried her through the broken door. When Touko was late, he had felt worried that something could've happened to her, especially when she didn't answer her Xtransceiver. What would've happened if he hadn't found Braviary? N shuddered. For the life of him, he couldn't imagine what kind of person was twisted enough to do this to her.

**Well that was just a minor detour on Touko's trip to visit N... The air is beginning to tast of lemon... mmm...**

**Anywho..**

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**Also on a personal note: I want to thank you for your support so far. I am simply writing because I enjoy it - I'm not a professional and I probably never will be. But the feedback has been great and I'm grateful that there are people who give back to the writer by actually reading it.**


	6. 6 - Castelia Real Estate

**I feel a little bad that the first lemon hasn't even arrived yet, so put in the hours and got the last chapter and this one done. So... you won't have to wait much longer at all. Trust me on this one :F**

**Enjoy! This is a cute lead up :P**

**UPDATE: I drew a cute pic of N and Touko for the cover :D Check out the full image on my account on DA (charl-e) and don't look at my other art cos it's old and crap T_T**

6

Castelia Real Estate

Touko knew she was being saved. Even though she was only half conscious, she could feel that N was carrying her against his chest, and she could hear her Braviary clucking softly, nuzzling her with its beak.

"Braviary – are you okay?" she heard N ask it. "I'll give you a potion as soon as I can, but for now you're going to have to hang on in your Pokéball." Touko felt a numb pain all through her body, but as it gave a sudden jolt, she wrapped her arms tightly around N, making him gasp. "Touko? Can you get Braviary's Pokéball? I can't reach…" But she was unresponsive. She was shivering in his arms, and her face was pale and clammy. N bit his lip, and laid her gently on the ground, before taking Braviary's Pokéball and returning it. Then he reached for his own Pokéball and tossed it into the air, so that his Rapidash appeared on the side of the Route. It was difficult, but with Rapidash's cooperation, he managed to get her onto its back, and he clambered on behind her, wrapping his arms around her slender shoulders and gripping his Pokémon's neck. Going no faster than a canter, they headed into town, and N looked up to see the orange light bathing the city.

"What the-" They shot through the barrier so quickly that the attendant didn't have time to stop them, and Rapidash bolted down the street in the direction of the town square. Eventually they reached their destination, which was a small stand on the edge of the bustling street. Leaving the girl resting on his Pokémon's back, N slid off and approached the stall owner.

"I'd like to get a Casteliacone please," he requested, checking his pocket for change. The woman at the counter glanced at the girl on the Rapidash, and then back at the man waiting for service.

"Certainly! It's the last one of the day, so you're pretty lucky," she smiled, scooping the little remaining ice cream from a tub into a cone and handing it to him as he handed her the change.

"Thank you." Turning back to Touko, he walked up to her and looked at her with concerned eyes. She was blinking slowly, as if she was awake but asleep at the same time. Lifting her chin, he held the Casteliacone in front of her lips. "Touko. Try this." A weak hand reached out and touched his, before she took it from him. Then she timidly tasted it with a small lick. As she did, N could've sworn her eyes brightened slightly. Humming, the girl took a gigantic mouthful and swallowed it, and N noticed that as she ate her shivers started to diminish. By the time he'd taken the cone back from her, she looked better.

"N," she murmured, blinking at his smiling face. "Thank you…" Finally, she let her tired eyes close.

x

_I have to tell him… I have to tell him how I feel… No matter what, I have to let him know._ These were the thoughts that were blearily whispering to her as Touko began to wake, and breathing in deeply through her nose, her eyes fluttered open. Then she froze. Maybe it was because her leg was stinging like hell. Or more likely, because N was sitting there, watching her with worried grey eyes and downturned lips. His hat wasn't on his head, and his tea green hair looked somehow even messier as he stared down at her. Touko shivered, as something dark and cold inside her began to claw its way out of the shadows. N's eyes widened slightly.

"What's wrong?" As Touko blinked, her eyes became blocked up and his figure turned wavy and wobbly. Blushing, she pushed away the tears with her fingers, taking a shuddering breath. "I…" N's voice trailed away as a tiny sob found its way out of her lips, and she sat up, drawing her legs in toward her body. She wasn't sure whose bed she was in, but she didn't care, even if it was his. Shifting uncomfortably, N watched as she turned to him, with her big blue eyes wavering with tears. She flopped forward, putting her arms around him, sobbing silently into his neck. Breathing slowly, N rested his hand on her back. "What h-"

"H-he… tried to torture me!" she gasped, gripping the back on his shirt as she bit down onto her lip. "That nutter! He… said he'd been looking for me and that… he was going to abuse me!" She could hear him gasp, but he said nothing. He only put his arms around her and held her closer. "I th-thought… he was going to force himself on me… He kept calling me 'beautiful' then saying that I deserve to suffer, and… he… he left me to die… I… I've never been so scared in my life, N! I thought he was going to _kill_ me!"

"Uh…" Touko's breathing was jagged and pained as she shook in his arms. "He… tried to force himself on you?"

"No, thankfully," she rasped, still gripping him tightly.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Shaking her head, she felt a spark of irritation.

"I don't know! It means rape. I thought he was going to rape me," she said bluntly, before she choked back another sob. When N didn't respond, the girl gave a shaky sigh. "It… it's when someone sees someone else as an object, not a person. Then they use that person against their will to relieve their… sexual… frustrations."

"I know what it means, Touko," N murmured, turning his head away. "But it's fine. He didn't do that to you." Leaning back, Touko wiped her eyes with her arm warmers.

"I'm okay now. But he knows who I am." His eyes narrowed, but when she looked back up at him, she didn't look scared or sad. She looked angry. "Next time he tries to 'get' me, I'll be ready for him."

"What if he tries to force himself on you?" Touko tilted her head. N looked exhausted – dark lines were under his eyes and his skin didn't have its usual healthy glow. "Doesn't… that scare you?"

"Of course it does," she replied, with a bitter laugh. "You come across as innocent, N – but I'm just as untouched. I hate the thought of someone taking it… innocence is the sort of thing that you have to give to the right person. Someone you love." As she finished her sentence, she looked bravely into his eyes, trying to pretend that her cheeks weren't on fire. For a moment, the two locked gazes, but N's expression didn't change.

"Tea?" Blush growing tenfold, Touko got to her feet as he stood up from the chair next to the bed.

"Thanks," she mumbled and followed him out of what was clearly his room due to all the geometric artwork on the walls, not to mention the photos on the dresser of him in various countries with his Pokémon friends. His bedroom opened out into a modern looking apartment, with a wide arch across the ceiling separating two distinct sections of the living room – one with a kooky white coffee table on a lime green rug and a cream coloured lounge suite. The artworks on the walls were a nice combination of N's favourite geometric patterns and nature prints, and an elegant silver lamp leaned over the couch. The second section was smaller, with a glass bookshelf which was surprisingly bare, except for some puzzles and toys. There weren't very many books at all, except for what appeared to be an atlas and books on geography and nature. There was also a very comfortable looking window seat with lime green cushions, looking out across Castelia City. To Touko's surprise, it was completely dark outside, except for the seemingly endless sparkling city lights. But there were enough windows to give a whole range of amazing views – the one behind the couch looked across the docks and out to sea. She followed N into the smaller lounge, but when they entered she realised that it opened out into a small dining room that before, she couldn't have seen past the wall. Narcissus in a vase sat in the centre of the wooden dining table which was surrounded by comfortable looking chairs. Then N turned left into a kitchen that was separated from the dining room by a raised platform and by the kitchen island. The kettle was already hissing, and he lifted it off its base and poured it into the two mugs that were already waiting. Turning around, Touko walked back to the window seat and touched the window, staring out into the night. "This place suits you, N. How long have you been here?"

"About six months," he said, his voice echoing around the kitchen. A second later, he came out holding two cups of tea, and as Touko took it and thanked him quietly, he took it through into the other room and put his own on the coffee table. Then he sat down and didn't look at her. Touko bit her lip and took a small sip of the tea. Hm… she should've asked for no milk. She could barely taste the tea. "Are you enjoying your tea?"

"It's fine," she replied. She wasn't a big tea drinker anyway. Frowning, she walked across the room and sat next to him on the couch. "Do you like tea?"

"Uh…" He raised his eyebrows at her as he lifted his cup. Then he took a big sip, and snarled as he pulled it away from his lips. "Ghetsis always hated tea. He never let me try it, even though the Sages all had it."

"But weren't you their king?" Touko asked him, putting down her cup.

"Aren't you enjoying it?"

"Yes I am – jeez. Weren't you their king, though?" she pushed, and N looked back down into his cup.

"But he's my father. I could order the sages around as much as I liked, but I wasn't allowed to drink tea, or have friends…" Fixing her with his steely gaze, he gave her a small smile. "That's what families are like. They often have illogical and inconsistent laws." Touko smiled back, but didn't say anything. When he looked at her like that it made her heart twirl. Those eyes were so hypnotic and steamy. N frowned. "Touko? Are you okay? Are you enjoying your tea?"

"Okay what the hell?" she snapped, wrenching the cup from the table before sculling the whole thing in just a few seconds. "Are you going to stop asking now?" N's eyes shot around the room as he lowered his head, a blush lightly grazing his cheeks.

"Sorry… I'm just a little distracted at the moment," he growled softly, staring into the cup clasped in his hands. Heart beating fast, Touko watched him with parted lips.

"Why?" Her voice was almost as soft as a whisper. Somehow, these feelings inside her made her feel so lightheaded, like she could float through the ceiling.

"I don't know." _God_… He was everything she wanted. It was annoying her that she couldn't even listen to what he was saying. Perhaps they were both a little distracted.

"Ooooh," she groaned, leaning forward, her arms flying around her sides. N turned to her in shock.

"Are you okay?" Concerned, he put his hand on her forehead, as she doubled over in what appeared to be pain.

"N… I need to tell you…" N frowned, as she sat back with her eyebrows twisted in pain. Her blue eyes met his momentarily, before she slammed them shut. "I like you… I mean… I _really_ like you. Well… Ooooh… what I'm really trying to say is… I like you. There. I've said it." As the girl watched for a reaction through one eye, her heart began pounding painfully again as his expression fell, and he lowered his head.

"I get it. You're sorry," he murmured, making Touko's jaw drop. It wasn't exactly the result she'd been fishing for, unless she counted the last two years of her life. "You didn't mean it, all those times you insulted me or hurt me. Now you want to be friends. I do get it, Touko. I'm not an idiot."

"N – I cared about you back then," she told him, as her heart burned through her chest. "And I never want you to doubt that. You wanted us to be friends, and we were. That's why I was so hard on you – because it hurt me that you wanted to destroy what was important to me. You wanted to tear my family apart, N. But that was… a separate issue. I have always seen you as a friend." As he looked up at her with his freezing cold eyes, Touko shivered.

"No," he said, his expression as hard as stone. "You hated me back then, and that's fine. All I need to know is that you didn't hate me for who I was – only for what I believed in." Her eyes widened.

"What? You're not angry?" she gasped, and he looked back down into his cup.

"No. Because… I hated you too. But… at the same time I didn't. It's hard to accept an apology when you know you're just as guilty." Touko frowned. "So you don't need to apologise. And you don't need to tell me that you like me. Our friendship had two sides for a while, but that's over." A slow, long breath of air escaped Touko's lips as she stared at him. His face was so relaxed, and his full lips were so untouched… and he'd forgiven her.

"Is that what was distracting you?" she asked him slowly, but he shook his head.

"I guess I'm still worried. Who are you… saving your innocence for?" A blush shot across Touko's face as she stared at him, and he looked away. "I'm just wondering, because when you said  
it you sounded like you already knew." Touko took a shivery breath.

"You're right – there is someone. There's… this guy…" She began to fidget with her fingers, and she could feel N look back to watch her, but… she couldn't look at his face. In a strange way, she felt frightened. "I have known him for a little while now. But he probably doesn't like me much, though he's too kind to show it. He's good at pretending. It's just that every time we're together I say something stupid that I don't mean and I know it's chipping away at him. I probably make it sound like I think he's broken somehow, but he's not broken. He's fine. I'm the one who's got something wrong with me… I only treat him like he needs help in this world because it makes me feel like I've got a grasp on it." Pausing, she let out the remaining air in her lungs and stared at the corner of the coffee table. There wasn't anything more that she felt like saying, but… that alone was unlikely to be enough for N to understand that she meant him. Still, as they sat in suspended silence, he didn't say a word. All she could hear were her own shaky breaths, and all she could feel was the sickening throb in her chest, which up until that very day she had refused to put a name to. But now she could. Funnily enough, it didn't help. After that, the silence started becoming unbearable, as the pain started to get worse every second that N just sat there saying nothing to her. She had to look at him. Swallowing, the girl timidly lifted her eyes to meet his. They were distant and confused, and his usually smirking lips were sad. But as she looked at him, he sat back a little and his brow relaxed, so he just looked astonished.

"You really think that?" he said, in a low but level voice. Embarrassed, Touko's eyes began to dart away but only for a moment. "You think that…" As N's expression sank, it began to diminish into something that resembled mild despair. "…that… I'm only pretending to like you?"

"Uh…" As her throat tightened, Touko froze, her eyes growing large. Suddenly, N's own eyes shot open and he gasped, staring at Touko in shock.

"So it's true!" he choked, before his cheeks started heating up. Completely tongue tied, Touko watched in a terrified silence as the young man got to his feet and walked briskly to the wall, where he rested his head on his forearm, breathing quite heavily. "And don't you dare start trying to teach me how to react, okay? You were right when you said it – I don't need help."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Touko hissed, as her eyes sparked with frustration. "What am I supposed to think? Just before I told you that I like you, and you took it the wrong way! Why do you always have to shove everything's head up its own ass?"

"Touko – stop getting mad at me," N sighed, pushing his head further into the wall. "And if I took what you said earlier the wrong way I'm sorry. Still - although I don't know everything, I know enough." Panting in both fear and anger, Touko relaxed a little in her seat, watching N as he spoke to the paintwork. "I… would never pretend to like you if I didn't, Touko. And you don't need help in the world – if I'm fine then you're definitely fine."

"Okay… I didn't mean the… thing I just said." Biting her lip, she looked down at her knees. Her heart really felt like it was going to break. He might not dislike her, but there was no way that he could ever… after everything she always seemed to say and do… he could never…

"I really… really… love you." Touko paused. He probably didn't really say that. But her heart was saying otherwise, as it slowly began to swell. "I love you, Touko. You… don't have anything to worry about. You never did."

"It's…" She felt like she was about to burst into tears, but she couldn't move. N was still leaning on the wall with his head down. The silence was so loud that it could've deafened her. Then she had to blink to make sure that it really was that person who'd just confessed to her – that it really was N. "Your father… said you don't have a human heart, N. And sometimes, I feel like I'm the only one that… knows that it's not true." Sighing, N finally relaxed his shoulders and turned to face her. His grey eyes looked even more tired now, but relieved. "The thing is… he raised you without love and emotion, and surrounded you with sadness. Everything he did, he did to make sure that you could never empathise with people. But you were born with a heart, and you have feelings just like everyone else. So when your father said that to you… I hated him for wanting to turn you into something so empty."

"That's right," N replied, smiling at her sadly. "I was his greatest failure. Otherwise I could never fall in love." For a moment, the two stared at each other in utter silence – one with an expression of disbelief and the other was just half happy and half sad. Then Touko's gaze dropped back to her knees, and, with her legs shaking, she got to her feet. Honestly, her brain was getting annoyed with her heart for being such a baby about this – shouldn't she be happy? Well… she was. But she was scared too. For once, she felt as fragile as a dead leaf.

"Just quickly," she mumbled, stumbling around the table toward him. Heart beating at an impossible pace, she paused directly in front of him, but she couldn't quite meeting his eyes.

"Uh…" Not wasting a second's breath, Touko slid her hand around to the small of N's back, stood up on her tiptoes and before she knew it, her lips were millimetres from his. Whole body shaking, she looked into his eyes for a moment, and in that moment, she could see everything swarming in those grey eyes. Dread, anticipation, lust, disbelief. His scent was overwhelming her – his soap, his deodorant, his body – even the smell of his breath as it brushed her lips was going to make her melt. Then she pushed her lips into his. They were… softer than she thought they'd be. Even though she was supposed to close her eyes, she couldn't. N watched in astonishment as she kissed him, even though all she did was touch his lips with hers and hold it there for a moment, before pulling away with a furious blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry – I got nervous," she rasped, wobbling back to the sofa and plonking down like a ragdoll.

"That's… that's fine," N said, his eyes still wide. He found himself repeatedly glancing at her lips, barely believing that they'd just kissed his. Then he moved to sit beside her, and she made way for him, though neither was quite convinced that they were awake and hadn't just dreamt the whole situation.

"Um… I… have never kissed anyone before." Blinking slowly, N looked across to her. Her cheeks were flushed and her blue eyes were bright. Her loose brown hair was tumbling across her pale shoulders and the edges of her face like a picture frame.

"You're… really beautiful, Touko." His lips were still prickling from where they'd touched. It… was far from enough. "I love you. Do… you love me?" Touko's eyes flicked to his, and she sighed through her nose.

"Yeah… Sure…" It took everything she had to kiss him just then. And he was fixing her with a stare that was quite clearly asking for her to satisfy him with everything now – starting with her saying the 'l' word. A smirk fluttered on her lips, and she sat up, gently balancing her arms on his shoulders. He took a sharp breath as she leaned into him, resting her nose on his, looking into his eyes once again. When she was this close to him, she could see how handsome he was, and how sensual his eyes were. It was a place that she decided that she liked to be. "I do love you, N. I… I've loved you for so long but for a long time I just couldn't admit it to myself. But now I can even admit it to you that I am completely in love with you." She could see that a smile was forming on his lips, and in his eyes, and then she felt his arms slide around her waist.

"Then… that makes us like girlfriend and boyfriend now, doesn't it?" he whispered, glancing at her lips.

"B-boyfriend?" she gasped, sitting up suddenly. N shot her an acidic glare, but Touko didn't seem to notice as she stared into the distance. "That's right! Your proposal."

"What kind of segue was _that_?" he snapped, still snarling at her.

"Oh! No – you just reminded me of something," she said, waving him down. "I talked to Rosa and her boyfriend today, along with a bunch of other friends. I told them your idea about keeping Pokémon in Pokéballs, and they seemed really convinced." As N's lips formed the shape of an 'o', Touko nodded to him. "We want to help you change the public's perception and get rid of Pokéballs."

"They… want to help me?" he asked, a sceptical eyebrow raised. Touko tilted her head briefly, as if to say 'not exactly'.

"They want to help Pokémon." Unsurprised, N rolled his eyes, before smirking.

"Well they should want to help. Keeping Pokémon trapped in Pokéballs is terrible and cruel," he said, looking up at her.

"I doubt it's as bad as you say it is," Touko said, putting one hand on her hip. Glaring, N sat up straight.

"How would you like being stuck in a Pokéball, and only able to leave at your master's will?" he snapped, making her recoil.

"I wouldn't know. Why don't you ask a Pokémon? You've got a gift, so use it." Shaking his head, he redirected his sneer out the window.

"Pokéballs get rid of physical existence. It's strange and we don't know what kind of effect that it has on the Pokémon inside. All they say is that it's just a bubble of their thoughts and things they can see on the outside world." Touko shrugged.

"You realise Pokémon can leave their Pokéballs of their own accord, right?" she asked him.

"Yes, but they are used to being kept in them," he said, turning back to her. The snarl was gone, but he was still frowning. "They don't have much to compare it to, but they'd be better off without those horrible things. They're tools of enslavement." Shaking her head in defeat, Touko shrugged.

"You know, you're probably right." N huffed, leaning toward her slightly. "I still don't think it's quite as terrible as you make out, though." For a moment, the two stubborn parties locked gazes, but he was the first to break it by getting to his feet and turning to walk into the other room.

"I'll be back in a second." Yawning, Touko watched him leave and turn into the kitchen. She could hear him opening drawers, but she was getting too drowsy to care, so she got to her feet.

"Can I sleep with you tonight, N?" she called, stretching her arms over her head. Yes, she was serious, but she knew that if she asked casually enough then she could always pretend she was joking if it freaked him out.

"Are you sure? I can sleep on the couch if you want." Somewhat pleased with herself, Touko discreetly pumped her fist.

"I can't allow that," she replied, grinning down at a math and science magazine that was resting on one of the chairs. Behind her, she heard N walking back into the room.

"Okay, well do you need anything?" he asked her, walking up behind her and resting a hand that she felt was intended for her waist but landed just by her armpit. Looking around to his shy eyes, which narrowly dodged hers, she sighed and took the hand that wasn't sure where it was going anymore.

"If you want to hold your girlfriend, you can," she told him, her own cheeks flooding with red. "As for what I need – I've already got everything." Glancing at her lips and then back up at her face, N gave a shy smile.

"Still – you might need to know where the bathroom is," he muttered, shuffling closer to her. "So you can clean your teeth and do all those things." Smiling, Touko turned to start walking with him, but he gripped her arm. "But now you mention it – I wouldn't mind holding you, if that's allowed." There was a flicker of confusion in Touko's deep blue eyes, until suddenly she gasped as he yanked her forward into his lips. As soon as their soft lips collided, the girl's heart fluttered and her arms wrapped around his waist. She could see his cheeks flooding with colour as he began to push her back a couple of steps, until she was up against the wall. It only happened in a matter of seconds, but both of them were trembling so much, that as he slowly moved his lips against hers, neither had the heart to go any further. For a moment, N's eyes slowly opened, as he asked her whether she was okay. As her own arms pulled his torso closer to hers, slowly pushing her further up the wall, he hummed, licking his lips and pushing them back into hers. Shivering in his arms, Touko let him kiss her gently, and she even kissed him back a little. But she wanted… a proper kiss. An adult kiss. It was scary, but something inside her was getting so desperate that she thought she might lose it. So brave as she was, Touko ran her fingers through N's hair and let her tongue slide across the young man's bottom lip. "Ha…" A sweat broke across his forehead and he brushed her lip with his tongue too, only to be shocked when it met hers. "Mmm…" Heart leaping, he put more pressure on her mouth and daringly pushed his tongue into her mouth.

"Mm!" she gasped, as she suddenly felt the warm, wet tongue exploring her mouth and his lips began to move feverishly against hers. This kiss was becoming… she didn't really know, or care. It was great. Pushing back against him, she tasted his tongue before turning the tables on him and sliding her tongue into his mouth. As soon as she started, she couldn't stop. He tasted so amazing, that it was almost going to drive her wild. "N," she murmured, as his breathing grew jagged.

"Hmmm!" he hissed, clasping her wrists as her hands moved to hold his cheeks. "That kind of kissing feels pretty good," he mumbled against her lips, as he slowly pushed her hands up above her head with one arm. Blushing, she gave him a cheeky smile.

"I'm not good at going slowly," she replied, and he raised his eyebrows, and his other hand moved to her wrists as well, leaving Touko a little more exposed to him. But her eyes flicked up as something tightened around her wrists, and there was a zipping sound. "What the hell?" As N released her and leaned back slightly, she lowered her hands in front of her body. "A zip tie?" He'd handcuffed her wrists together with a ziptie… _Wonderful._

"I caught you," he said with a triumphant grin. "Now you know what it's like to be caught in a Pokéball." Shaking her head, the girl stared down at her hands.

"It's okay though. I trust my master." Looking up, Touko gasped as he suddenly moved toward her again, and began planting moist kisses on her neck. "Ha…" Leaning back against the wall, she lifted her chin and closed her eyes as he continued to cherish her soft skin with his lips.

"You can't trust anyone," he purred, before he paused on her collarbone, and looked up at her through concerned eyes. "I was wondering about that innocence thing." Blushing slightly, Touko tried to move her hands but found that she couldn't. "Do you think… if I'm that one person you'd share it with… do you think now would be okay?"

**Hope you're ready for the first lemon. Chapter long hot daym...**

**Also... you may have noticed something different on my take on N. I am one of those people who is anti-fetishwheelshipping because making N a prince charming is unrealistic, and making Touko weak is just unacceptable. However, it also annoys me when anti-fetishwheelshippers say that people are wrong to make N prince charming (and here's the clincher) because he only understands Pokémon and doesn't know anything about love/relationships/sex. That sounds a lot like Ghetsis, and as a student of human character I have to say that... that's a little over the top. He's not a Gary Stu, but he's not 'a freak without a human heart'.**

**Just had to add that... and please make sure you noticed that i said FETISH not FERRIS because im absolutely an NxTouko fan :DDDD**

**LEMON SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON BOOYAH**

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	7. 7 - Innocence

**Xx WARNING: LEMON xX**

**Or - Xx Congratulations! xX - you've reached the lemon!**

**It's the whole chapter, so if you don't like lemons you must skip the whole thing... sorry. Or you can read the last few lines. I say just nut up and read the lemon :D**

7

Innocence

"Do you think now would be okay?" Staring down at him with bated breath, Touko felt her heart slow as he gazed up at her with hungry silver eyes. He looked wild – almost wolf like. N's hands were on her waist, squeezing her gently, and his bottom lip was resting on her collarbone.

"Now..?" she murmured, a sigh in the bottom of her lungs. "What… did you think we'd be doing?" Casting his eyes back down to her silken skin, he planted a few more electric kisses, enjoying the feeling of her shivering at his touch.

"Experiencing life," he breathed, slowly moving back up her neck and kissing her occasionally. "I… want this." She shuddered as she felt his hands slide around her body and hug her close to his. His warmth was radiating into her body, making it feel tingly. The only things between them were her hands which were still bound together in front of her.

"I… I don't know…" Touko's voice was croaky, and her whole body felt like a droplet of water that could shatter at any second. Slowly, N brought his eyes in font of hers and stroked her hair with his hand.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to," he replied, though the girl knew full well that there weren't a lot of things she wouldn't let him do. Touko bit her lip as her cheeks began to set themselves on fire. Touya made sure that there wasn't much to do with sex that she hadn't heard of, and she definitely had a curious streak. It was something else making her apprehensive.

"I-it's not that," she replied, not quite meeting his eyes. A soft sigh blew against her lips.

"So it's about me." Touko's eyes shot to his, with a spark of surprise that wanted to deny the claim. But when she went to speak, something stopped her. N's expression was hard, and his eyes looked as cold as stones, completely unconvinced by hers which were trying to contradict him.

"Maybe," she concluded, and his eyes narrowed. As a short hiss escaped his lips, Touko gasped as something suddenly yanked the ziptie around her wrists, and before she knew it, he was dragging her in the direction of his bedroom door.

"If that's your only scruple," he growled, yanking the handle down and shoving the door open with his shoulder, "then let me do everything. That way you can stop feeling so guilty. You can stop thinking you're so emotionally superior. I'm not a mindless android." Crying out a little as N suddenly pulled her – quite forcefully – into his room, Touko tripped and stumbled into his back. Grunting, he grabbed her waist and swung her around, his eyes dark as he pushed her onto the bed. As she flopped into the soft mattress, unable to break her fall with her hands, her heart practically leapt out of her chest as N crawled on top of her, his eyes still sparking. They were face to face in seconds, barely giving the girl time to come to her senses.

"Wait, N!" she began to object, but he wasn't listening. Grabbing her hands, he lifted them over her head until they were touching the headboard. "Oh come _on_! How can I do anything like this?" A smirk on his lips, N looked down at her, as he tightened the second ziptie that bound her to the headboard.

"You don't have to do anything," he purred, as she stared up at him, completely aghast.

"So you aren't even going to wait for my permission?" she gasped, as he raised a single green eyebrow at her.

"You're impulsive and impatient, Touko. If it was a question of getting your permission, it wouldn't be hard. But you hold back for the sake of others – I've seen you do it a million times." Frowning, the girl tried to shift out from under him, but there really wasn't any escape. "But I want you, Touko. I care about you so much, and I'd never hurt you. But you don't get to say no for me!" His grey eyes were wide with anger and lust as he stared down at her, making shivers shoot through her body. There was something very exciting about N's frustration, and the way his body hung over hers, his tea green hair spilling over his shoulders. "So… forget about me. I might be… a little nervous. This is a new experience. But I want you to let me deal with it – please stop making my problems yours. I'm strong enough to face it." Breathing slowly, Touko gazed up at his firm expression, and something inside her heart seemed to warm.

"I know you are," she whispered, wishing she could reach out and touch his pale cheeks, to relax his handsome face. She wanted him to smile at her. "But… I love you. I care about your feelings. I'm allowed to care, N." Her heart rose a little in her chest as his eyes finally did relax, but he didn't smile. He just lowered his head. "I do want you… to…" As her voice trailed away, she could hear N sigh through his nose, though all she could see was the mess of his hair. "You're so amazing, N. I'm… actually a little pleased that you won't take no for an answer."

"You didn't say no," he growled, as he bent his arms and looked back down at her. "So I'm…" Shifting his weight, he brought his lips down to her ear, breathing on the rim gently. "I'm… going to make love to you, Touko…"

"Ha…" The words seemed to shiver through her body, and N brought his face back to hers. Hands still unable to move, Touko could only look up into his eyes that stared lustfully down into hers. Suddenly, he smashed his lips into hers, and two muffled moans floated across the room as their eyes slammed shut. Touko's arms strained hard against her restraints as the searing lips collided with hers, and as his tongue lashed into her mouth. She wanted to hold him closer to her, but all she could do was madly try to keep up while he ravaged her mouth, panting heavily as his hands ran through her long hair. Their lips pushed and sucked against each other, desperately trying to create more friction between them, and as N's torso collapsed onto her, she moaned as his whole body began to move with the kiss. Touko hummed, still desperate to touch his body with freed hands, but at least she could feel his warmth and weight over her, and she could feel his every breath as he drunkenly moaned into her mouth. For only a moment, he broke away for a breath before smashing his lips back into hers as his breaths grew more harsh and feverish. Gasping, Touko shuddered as he ran his tongue swiftly along her bottom lip, and in response, when he went to kiss her again she grabbed his lip between her teeth, making him hiss as she bit down. Both their eyes fluttered open and N stared down at her with something that resembled insanity etched into his expression. Suddenly, he seized her shoulders and pushed his tongue back into her mouth, groaning as he bucked against her. "Hmmph!"

"Ngh…" Pulling away from the passionate kiss, N blushed at her as the line of saliva caught between their lips stretched and broke. "Am I allowed to touch you?" Face burning, Touko stared at him with an almost ferocious determination.

"You're the one who has me caught," she told him, in an attempt to sound less depraved. "You… can do whatever you want." Flinching slightly, N's eyes floated down and stopped at Touko's top. It had previously caught her attention that he was very disciplined in terms of where he looked, but now that he was staring quite obviously down at her, she knew he was already getting pretty high on lust. Grunting, N blushed and looked back to Touko, as he pulled off his necklace and chucked it onto the floor. She watched in fascinated silence as he removed both bracelets from his wrists too, before pulling off both shirts simultaneously and dropping it all onto the floor. Shivering, the now half naked young man lowered himself back down to her level and kissed her cheek gently, as his nails dug into her arm. Touko was still staring at nothing. His body was quite fit, and the endless expanse of pale flesh stretched over his supple muscles was an image that she knew she wouldn't be able to get out of her head. Ever. "Ha…"

"Now I want to see you too," he whispered, as a second hand loosely clasped the material at the bottom of her t-shirt. Smirking, N locked eyes with her and slowly began to lift her shirt across her body, loving the way she shuddered beneath him. "You're so slim and beautiful, Touko," he purred, his eyes widening as they fell on her exposed stomach. His breathing was jagged as he stared down, and Touko felt her whole body burning as he shamelessly pulled her top so that it sat just above the top of her bra. Growling, his eyes flashed and his hands trailed across her skin, tantalising her as they brushed so close to the base of her crisp white bra.

"Sorry… they're not…" Blushing furiously as N's eyes snapped to hers, Touko looked away. Her breasts weren't small, but they weren't… big either.

"Ngh…" Turning back, a spark of surprise lit her darkened eyes as she saw N's pained, desperate expression. "You're… so… sexy," he growled, his eyes completely steamed up. "I really… can't help myself…" Suddenly, something brushed against her breast making Touko gasp out loud. N was lifting her bra over top of them, letting it sit above them with her top. As soon as the cold air hit her exposed chest, the girl squealed and slammed her eyes shut, straining to cover herself. Even though she couldn't see, she could feel him staring at her chest, and there was nothing she could do to hide them. "Ha…"

"Ah," Touko gasped, as she felt his hands grip them. N smirked as he felt her breasts in his hands, enjoying how firm and soft they were as he gently squeezed them. Embarrassed, she was trying to roll and cover her face with her elbow. A sweat broke across his forehead as he watched her squirming, and her perfect torso trying to slide out from under him. Her body was so warm and her stomach looked so delicious, and the feeling of her breasts in his hands as he kneaded them was making him shake in overwhelming lust. "Touch me more, N…"

"Yeah!" he groaned, half shocked, half delighted and completely aroused as he flicked his thumbs over her nipples.

"Ha!" N's eyes widened, as Touko suddenly jerked beneath him, pushing her chest further into his hands.

"You… drive me crazy, Touko!" he gasped, as his mind evaporated into a fog of ecstasy. Leaning forward, he didn't stop until her breasts were right in front of his face. Taking a deep breath, he shifted his hands so he could take a better look at the pink nipples sitting perfectly on her white chest. "Mmm…" Without giving it a second thought, N extended his tongue and ran it along her skin, loving the way she shuddered. Below, he was feeling almost painfully stiff as he manipulated her with one hand on one breast, and teased her nipple on the other side by flicking it with his tongue.

"Ah! Ha!" Touko cried, as N latched onto her chest and began sucking on her sensitive nipple. It was sending electric shocks shooting through her body, making her feel increasingly moist the more he squeezed with his fingers and bit with his teeth. "N!" Moaning, he sucked harder and looked up at her tortured expression with a naughty grin pulling at the corners of his lips. Even Touko's mind was filling with mist as her desire for him to do things to her slowly began to drive her mad. The frustration of being captured like prey, unable to escape him as he played with her body only made her burn harder. "Feels… so good!" Closing his eyes, N exhaled heavily onto the girl's perfect chest. Never had he found it so impossible to collect his thoughts. Beneath him, his love, or his lover, was sprawled out across his bed, crying out at the pleasure that only he could make her feel. Her mouth was hanging open and her cheeks were flushed as she tried to cover her eyes. Hissing, he opened his eyes and trailed his tongue across to her other breast to give it the same special treatment, covering it in searing kisses before taking the soft nub in his lips and teasing it, torturing her as hard as he could as she writhed beneath him, moaning with lust, trying to push more of her tits into his face.

"Oh… god!" he shouted, as she screamed in ecstasy. "Touko… I want all of you!" Running his tongue ferociously over her tits for one more moment, N sat up and started fumbling clumsily with his fly. Opening one eye, Touko turned her head to watch him as he fought with his pants. She bit her lip, as her body began to shiver. His glowing hair was spilling across his pale shoulders and his lips were snarling in frustration, until he finally managed to tear down the zipper on his slacks. Suddenly Touko gasped.

"Uh… N!" she cried, as slid them down to just below his hips, and he paused, looking up at her.

"What's wrong?" A concerned look crossed N's face – something Touko never had thought accompanied with a guy about to pull down his pants. Blushing, she pushed her face into her arm, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I've… never… seen…" Suddenly, a smirk flickered in his eyes, and his hands fell away from his slacks.

"Could it be?" he teased, his hands sneaking back up her stomach toward her chest. "Are you nervous, Touko? I thought I was the nervous one out of us two." Mouth falling open as his fingers dug into the soft flesh of her tits, the girl gave a tiny gasp. "I thought you knew what to do. Do you know what to do with my dick?" Eyes shooting open, Touko stared up at her intimidating lover as he grinned evilly down at her, his hands kneading her breasts.

"There… are lots of things I can do," she mumbled, turning her gaze away. "I know what to do – I've just… never even seen one."

"It's not that hard to look at it," he smirked, reaching out and stroking her cheek. "This is where you're supposed to educate me. Tell me where you want me to put it…" Staring up at him with a look of horror, Touko gave a shake.

"If I wasn't tied up, I'd hit you! N – I never imagined you'd ever talk to me like that!" she cried, her blue eyes wide with shock at his forwardness. Chuckling, N leaned over her and kissed her lips before moving to her ear.

"How would you imagine me talking to you in a situation like this? Do you fantasise about us doing things like this?" Shuddering in excitement, Touko felt sexual pleasure just at his few words.

"Where is this coming from..?" she croaked, as she felt his hands return to her breasts and start playing with her nipples. "Ha…"

"I'm nineteen years old, and I'm a man," he purred. "And I can safely say I've imagined tying you up like this plenty of times. You're even sexier than I thought you'd be." As the words vibrated into her ear, Touko threw her head back and moaned, tugging hard against the zipties. "I don't know much more than the basics, but I'm betting that you do."

"Maybe…" Something deep inside her wanted to strangle her brain for being so curious. "I… want you to let me taste it." Leaning back, N raised his eyebrows at her, a small smile on his lips.

"Dammit," he breathed, hooking his thumbs back under his slacks and pushing them down over his legs. Touko just stared at the lump in his trucks as he wrestled his pants off his long and slender legs before tossing them away, before turning back to her with a flick of his hair. As she watched him like a deer caught in headlights, it occurred to her that N wasn't aware that while it was normal for girls to striptease guys, it wasn't as common for guys to do it to girls. Not that she was going to stop him. Biting his lip at her, he climbed off the back of the bed and stood in front of her, completely stark naked except for his trunks, making Touko officially the luckiest girlfriend in the world. As he pushed his thumbs under the elastic, he raised his eyebrows at her, making her heart flutter. This whole situation was making her go slowly insane – particularly the part where she was tied to N's bed with her tits exposed to him, and her barely clothed legs spread. And he was strip teasing her. "Want me to take these off?" he drawled flicking the elastic and circling his hips. Touko stared back.

"I want you to do all kinds of things," she murmured, her eyes shifting slowly from his smirk, to his stomach, to what was quite plainly his cock. As the smile grew, his hands slowly began to slide the white trunks down his legs. For a minute, the stretchy fabric got caught on the lump, and it was dragged down with the material, making it poke out like a tent. But as it met resistance, it flicked right out of his underwear and straight into the open air. "Ha!" A dick. N's dick. Touko literally heard her heart in her ears when she realised those two facts, staring across the bed at his exposed manhood as he struggled untangle his trunks from his feet. For a second it was covered as he bent over and his green hair flopped forward, but as he flicked it away it was back in full, uncensored view. It wasn't quite as pale as the rest on N's body, probably because… it was full of blood… Blushing, Touko tried to tear her eyes away, and was grateful when N clambered back onto the bed and it was easier to look at his face again.

"I love you," he growled, pushing his lips into hers. Her eyes lit up as he began to kiss her deeply and breathily, and she could feel something hot just brushing her thigh. Panting, the red faced boy leaned back to grin naughtily down at the overwhelmed girl beneath him. Licking his lips, he leaned back in and kissed her cheek gently, dragging his lips to the top of her cheekbone and planting more around to her nose. As her breathing became jagged, cold sweat rolled down her forehead. Touko bit her lip as she looked up at his soft neck, and curving collarbone. Above her head, her wrists were beginning to hurt from straining to touch him. "Tell me if I do anything wrong."

"You're doing… amazing." Her chest rose and fell as he inched further up the bed, bringing Touko's face closer and closer to his erection. Whimpering, she brushed her lips gently against his stomach, making him purr.

"Taste me," he slurred, as his eyes began to steam up once again. Every part of him was shivering, and he felt weak – almost lethargic. But every fibre of his body was telling him to keep going, and he wanted Touko to feel just as excited. She was worth it.

"Hn!" Suddenly, the girl shook beneath him, her blue eyes bright with curiosity. As the stiff erection brushed against her chin, Touko's mind shot through the roof. She knew what she was supposed to do, how she was going to do it and she was completely convinced that she would do it. But her brain was going haywire as it tried to figure it all out, and everything felt illogical. At this point, she knew she had to ignore it – she had to ignore the blood pounding in her ears and the dizziness in her head and just open her mouth. Terrified, Touko examined the organ that was still timidly brushing against her chin. In terms of size – she had nothing to compare it to. But it looked plenty big to her, and she had no clue as to how she was supposed to put the whole damn thing in her mouth. As the tip brushed her lips, she froze. N's cock was right in front of her face in all its glory. She… couldn't quite move.

"Um… Touko? You don't have t-ah! Ha…" Shuddering as he felt her tongue suddenly slide across him, N threw his head back and moaned, and he could feel himself getting even bigger. "S-so good!" Taking a quick breath, Touko lifted her head again and flicked her tongue across the tip of his penis. It didn't taste as bad as she thought – just faintly salty like most skin. It struck her how warm it was though, and how firm it felt as she licked across the still dry parts of his shaft. Every time she licked him, N would shake and moan above her – and every maddened cry made Touko want him to push it forward, so she make him feel even more amazing.

"You taste kind of good," she muttered, absentmindedly pushing her moist lips over the tip of his cock. Suddenly, the thing slid forward into mouth, making her gag slightly. "Mmmph!" she protested, as N thrust into her mouth. But it excited her, feeling the surges of blood in his dick as the whole thing filled her mouth. It was so hot and wet from licking that somehow, she just wanted to taste more of it, even though her heart was still pounding painfully in her chest. Sucking it in deeper, Touko lifted and dropped her head, trying to get N to make another sexy noise.

"Hnnagh!" he gasped, as animalistic urges finally took full control of him. Gripping Touko's head with both hands, he thrust gently into her mouth, as she sucked him in.

"Mmmm!" Touko could feel herself getting wetter from this, though she didn't understand quite why it felt so good for N to be fucking her face. But she enjoyed seeing the spark of insanity in his eyes as he tried to get her to take even more of him, and she loved the feeling of his foreskin sliding back and forth over his cock as she sucked him.

"Oh yeah, Touko!" he groaned, throwing back his head again. "Your mouth feels so good!" As the sounds of slurping and sucking bounced around the walls, combined with N's depraved moans and Touko's gasps and hums, both began to feel themselves losing themselves to the pure pleasure. "Ha…" For a moment, as the brain cell shattering sexual ecstasy washed through him with every thrust, N looked down at Touko's flushed face as she sucked him. It only excited him more, to see her tied helplessly to the headboard, as he – her master – fed her his penis. "Do you still trust your master?" he hissed, pushing himself into her deeply. A muffled moan drifted his way and he smirked, before thrusting again. "Do you trust me?" he repeated, sitting back on his heels and letting his cock slide out of her mouth. Head falling exhaustedly back onto the bed, Touko stared up at him with her mouth hanging open as a bead of saliva caught between her bottom lip and the tip of his manhood. Smirking as she shivered, making her breasts shudder on her chest, he raised his eyebrows at her.

"I trust you, N," she told him weakly, her eyes fixed on his cock as she licked her lips.

"Ha…" Eyes narrowing, N reached out and brushed them with his fingertips, before pushing them into her mouth. Still exhausted, Touko just looked tiredly at him as he slid his index and middle fingers in deeper, enjoying the feeling of the girl's tongue flicking over them. "Hnn…" Sucking them gently, she let her head flop the side and watched N as he grimaced. Gently, he pulled them back out and trailed them gently across her cheek. "You look so… hot right now," he breathed, resisting the urge he had to reach down and touch himself. Her crisp pink nipples quivered on her perfect chest, and her endless blue eyes looked up at him with a magnetic curiosity. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulders and across the green duvet cover like swirls of dark chocolate, and her pink lips were still red and puffy from sucking him. His cock was still painfully hard. He wasn't sure though that Touko would be very happy if he went and came in her mouth. Even though for some reason he wanted to – but he supposed it might not taste very good. Either that or he could pull out and cum onto her face. At that moment, an image of hot white cum dripping down her cheeks flushed cheeks flashed across his mind.

"N? Are you okay?" she mumbled. "You don't need to ask – you can take off my panties if you want."

"Uh…" As his dick gave an extra hard throb, he bit his lip before reaching down and stroking Touko's breasts, running his thumbs over her nipples.

"Ah!" Her eyes slammed shut as she pushed her tits into his hands again, and a smirk spread across N's lips. But he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. When were they supposed to get down to the actual sex? "N! Touch my… my… dammit… Dammit take off my panties, N!" A small moan escaped his lips.

"What'd you say?" he slurred, his grey eyes going dark. "What do you want?"

"I want you to take off my underwear – don't make a meal out of it!" Smirking even wider, he leaned into her and ran his tongue over her nipple.

"Why would you want me to do that?" It made him so goddamn hard when Touko got frustrated, and he knew how to get more.

"N! Quit it!" she snapped, before gently sucked, making her buck into him. "Ah!" Sitting back up, N watched in erotic fascination as he squeezed and flicked both her nipples between his fingertips, loving the way her face screwed up and her body twisted in deep pleasure.

"Why? Why do you want me to take your panties off?" he said, as his voice began to grow huskier. "Why do you want me to?"

"Ah!" Moaning in pleasure, Touko pressed her breasts harder and tried to buck into him as N relentlessly tortured her chest. "I want… Ah! I want you to do me like a fucking jigsaw puzzle!" Raising his eyebrows, he kept flicking, pulling and squeezing as she shook beneath him. There was no way she'd get him to stop with that. He wasn't going to until she said it. "N!"

"Ha…" The smile on his lips was getting bigger, and Touko's cries were getting louder.

"I want you to put it in!" she gasped, amazed that he still hadn't. Never in her whole life had she been so wet before, and N was just making it worse. It felt so hot and slippery, begging him to just shove it in. She didn't care if it was supposed to hurt. And her wrists were groaning in pain as she fought and fought to snap the plastic, but all that happened was she felt a warm trickle drip down onto the black sheets. "N! Please just hurry up and make love to me! I can't wait anymore!"

"Ha!" he moaned, finally releasing her. Her abused nipples were still glowing red on her white breasts as they wobbled back into place, and her flushed face was moist from sweat as she flopped back into the bed. Not even bothering to touch the girl's socks, N crawled back and looked at her legs and skirt, before hooking his arms under her knees and lifting them up over his shoulders. This caused Touko's entire lower back to be lifted off the bed as he sat up, and her skirt fell back over her stomach, exposing her underwear which was right on top of his crotch. A confused expression on his face, N looked down at the arrangement and then back up to Touko. "I… have no idea what I'm doing right now," he murmured, as she stared back with her mouth hanging open.

"It… it… looks about right to me," she replied, still apparently in shock. It looked exactly right. Flicking his eyes back down, N gave a tiny smirk as he reached down and rubbed his thumb across the dampest part of the material.

"Ha!" Touko gasped, shuddering as his finger stroked across her clitoris. "Ah!" Throwing her head back, her breathing became laboured and harsh as he slowly pushed the fabric aside, and she could feel his eyes on her as she felt the end of his penis gently pushing at her entrance.

"It's… so wet!" N exclaimed, still blushing heavily as he looked down at her dripping, hot pussy. But he knew what to expect – he knew that the nub a bit above the small opening, which were both between her labia, was a very sensitive spot for girls. And he knew where to put his cock. Juices dripping slowly out of her vagina oozed onto the tip of his cock, making it slick and slippery. Growling deep inside his throat as he felt himself drool slightly, N pushed forward with his hips.

"Nrgh…" For a moment, even dripping wet, her pussy didn't give to the pressure, until suddenly the entire tip slipped inside. "Ha!"

"Uh!" As his heart stopped beating, N thrust forward and his fingers dug hard into Touko's thighs. Not wanting to miss her expression, he glanced up to see the girl's face twist in pain, with her mouth hanging open in a silent scream. "A-are you okay?" he gasped, his eyes momentarily flicking to her breasts as they jiggled against the initial thrust. It was agony to stop now. He wanted so badly to let loose and to fuck her silly, but Touko trusted him. He wasn't going to do anything if it meant hurting her.

"Your cock feels so big! It hurts," she whimpered, her arms shaking madly as another drop of blood rolled down her wrist. "Oh get on with it! I don't care!" He was being gripped so hard by her, but so wet, that N couldn't even think twice before complying with her wishes.

"Hunhh!" Both were already covered in sweat, instantly cooling them despite the intense heat connecting them. Shaking his head, N slowly began pulling out, sending waves of ecstasy through him that felt so overwhelming that as he thrust back in, he did it even harder. "Ah!" Even though her face was a little green, he just couldn't stop. "Touko!" he cried, gripping her harder as the thrusting quickly became pounding.

"Ah!" Touko's mind was reeling so fast, and her sanity was so long gone that she couldn't even remember what it felt like to have it. Every thrust N gave her was so painful that it made her feel sick to her stomach, and it took everything she had not to puke on herself. But the pain was fading, and every second that went past, the more clear that one thought came clearer in her head. But she was still nuts enough to scream it out loud. "N… N's dick is inside me! It feels so good!" she shrieked, no longer caring how much the zipties cut into her wrists as she tried to somehow touch something. Panting, N's grey eyes widened as he looked down at the girl he was currently making love to – who just screamed how good that it felt that it was him inside her… This was what he wanted to feel. That he could make her feel this hot – this amazing while knowing that no one else ever could. And that only made him feel more amazing. "N!" As her back arched, giving an extra sharp tug on the headboard, his eyes fell to her breasts which were freely bouncing up and down on her sweat covered body.

"Do you like it?" he growled, squeezing her thighs.

"Ha! Uh! Uh!" she screamed, as he leaned over her more so he could push even deeper into her hot, tight soaked pussy. "Yes! N! I love it!" Eyes widening, N let go of Touko's thighs, and pushed himself in all the way, making her gasp. Then he lowered her gently down before leaning forward so that they were nose to nose.

"I love you," he groaned, pushing his tongue into her mouth and slowly grinding his hips against hers. "Hmph…" As the heat between their bodies shot upward, N began running his hands through Touko's hair, panting into her mouth as he rolled his lower body against hers.

"Shh-shit!" The change of position made more friction between their bodies, so even though it was slower, she could feel every inch of him sliding in and out of her. It was a completely different feeling – less carnal, but hotter, and she could feel her mind steaming up like a sauna. As the two bit and sucked and kissed each other's swollen, desperate lips, N's hands danced down the sides of her face and neck, all the way to her breasts. "Huh! Mmm…" Jerking as his fingers squeezed down on her sensitive nipples once again, Touko gasped, throwing her head back and breaking the kiss.

"Uh…" Rolling his hips harder, without changing the tempo, N watched the girl just moan louder and louder, her eyes slammed shut. Closing his own eyes, he leant forward and laid several moist kisses on her throat. His whole body was shuddering as he tried to concentrate on all three actions, jerkily making more burning, maddening friction between their bodies. "Hnn…" Brow furrowed, he repositioned his legs on the bed to make it easier to push into her. It was so tight inside that with every grinding thrust into her, he felt like he could imagine every inch of her in his mind.

"Ah yes, N!" Touko gasped, her voice almost cracking as he pushed even deeper inside her. The feeling of his masculine torso so close to her, and feeling his steamy breath across her skin was driving her stark raving mad. "Your cock feels so fucking good!" Honestly, she didn't care what she sounded like. She was saying it to N, and it was completely true. Groaning in response, N's frozen hands began to play with Touko's chest again, and he ran his tongue right across the tendon of the girl's outstretched neck.

"Yeah," he moaned, loving her taste and the feel of her breasts and the pleasure building in his throbbing hard on as he continued to grind her into the bed. "I… I'm making love to you, Touko…" Panting heavily, Touko locked eyes with his silver irises and whimpered at how passionately he was moving – his whole body straining and every muscle in his body bulging as he moved his arms around her back and he started thrusting madly. "Uh!"

"Uh! Harder, N!" Touko pleaded, as her breasts bounced against his chest. Hissing, he leant forward and smashed his lips into hers, abusing her mouth with his insatiable tongue. Moans and muffled cries echoed around the bedroom as they completely lost control, moving against each other with jerky movements that were barely in sync. The sounds of him slamming into her, mixed with the noise of them sucking and smashing their lips together repeatedly made them both even more lost in the mad cloud of lust.

"Ha! Tsss!" N hissed, as Touko bit down hard onto his bottom lip, making it bleed. "So… good… mmph." Forcing his tongue down her throat, he began running his hands up and down her sides, as the pleasure he was filling started to collect. Nothing could've made him stop at this point, it felt so good. And it was quickly getting better.

"N!" she gased, as her lover suddenly suddenly slid into her even more – and she'd thought she was already taking all of him. Cold sweat started running down every inch of her skin, making her muscles try to seize, as the pleasure emanating from deep in her vagina made her clench harder around him. Crying out in ecstasy, N gripped his shoulders as his back arched. Seeing this, Touko moaned and strained furiously against the zipties, bucking hard into him. "N – I'm close to cumming!" Gasping, N grabbed her chin and forced her into a brief but rough kiss.

"Me too!" he groaned, as his hands fumbled for her breasts, as he pinched her nipples. Deep inside his cock he could feel the urge to thrust into her until he'd filled all of her with his cum. As his eyes fell on her, he felt his heart stop. Her eyes were open wide and were staring into him with yearning and utter starvation, but her brow was furrowed. Suddenly, she clenched her eyes shut and started bucking into him.

"I'm cumming, N!" she cried, as her body seized repeatedly, and she suddenly clamped onto him tight. Arching her back, she let out a long cry as the waves of shuddering, obliterating pleasure shook through her body with every powerful thrust N sent, as his own head rolled back.

"Touko!" he cried, suddenly pounding her with everything he had. "Uh! Ah!"

"Ah!" Both shaking as they continued to collide, N felt his sperm surging out of his body and into hers, as his cock throbbed several amazing times. He could feel her tightening around him as he came, and for a few seconds both of them rode out the burst of complete, unimaginable sexual pleasure as it washed over them. Panting furiously, he glared down at her as sensation dissipated, leaving nothing but a sense of utter physical exhaustion.

"Ha," he breathed, aware that his lips were only a few millimetres from hers. "Hmm…" Gently, he kissed her, before the arms holding him up finally gave up and he flopped down on top of her. Coughing, Touko stared up at the ceiling as the heavy nineteen-year-old pushed all air out of her lungs.

"Could you get off please?" she rasped, her eyes still as wide as pools. Grunting, N weakily lifted his lower torso of her so that his manhood slipped out of inside her, then shakily clambered to the small bit of bed left next to her. "Um…" Forcing her head around to look at him, Touko raised her eyebrows at him. N lay on his stomach with his head turned toward her, and a peaceful expression on his face.

"Yeah?" he mumbled, giving her a small smile.

"You… still haven't shown me to the bathroom," she replied. Then she remembered her aching arms and stinging wrists. "Also I'm still kind of… tied to your bed…" A flicker of shock shone in the grey eyes for a brief moment, and the man heavily pulled himself up.

"Right…" For a moment, he sat still on the edge of the bed facing away from her. "Sorry about that." Touko frowned.

"Wait – you are going to untie me right?" she asked him, as he got to his feet with his trunks in hand. "I didn't mind for that, but you can't expect me to sleep like this. My hands will fall off!" Sniggering, N shook his head as he slipped his underwear back on and wandered across the room to his dresser, where he picked something back up before turning back to her and walking up with it in hand. Touko gasped.

"You keep _that_ on your dresser?" Sighing, he brought the hunting knife to the plastic zipties and carefully cut them off her and off the bed. Touko quickly brought her arms down and pulled her bra back over her breasts, followed by fixing her underwear and her top. Both of her wrists had round black rings circling them, and one even had ripped right through the skin, and it was still bleeding. Glancing quickly at her wounds, N turned away and walked swiftly back to the dresser, placing his knife down.

"You're not the only one that the separatists target," he muttered, turning back to her with a gentle smile on his lips. "How are your wrists?" Blushing, Touko stared at him.

"Th… they might need some iodine," she replied slowly. "You've… been targeted?" Shrugging, N walked up to the bed and sat down beside her.

"I've had death threats – but unlike you, no one's actually done anything to me," he told her, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Please don't worry about it, Touko. I don't want to think about that now."

"N…" Turning to him with a sad smile, she pushed her nose onto his and closed her eyes. "There's not a lot that's going to take my mind off tonight." Smirking, he watched her dark eyelashes as he stroked her chin with his fingertips.

"Sorry if I didn't do it right," he murmured, making Touko chuckle.

"Could we do something about this please?" she asked, lifting her hands like paws. "Apart from that, N – it felt great to me." Flicking a stray hair out of his face, he smiled and brought her hands to his lips.

"Well the medical cabinet's in the bathroom," he told her, smiling gently. Touko smiled back. It felt good to have her hands free. She could finally… "Mmmph!" N gasped, as she suddenly seized the back of his head and pulled him into a kiss. It was the longest day of her life, and she was exhausted beyond belief. But it was all worth it to think that she was going to go to sleep in his arms.

**:F I hope that was okay.**

**Twas the first of eNigmatic and twill not be the last.**

**Also... if you are like O.O Protection? then I will let you know - I didn't forget to put that in I purposely left it out. And no, she might not get pregnant so cool your jets.**

**RVIEEW**

**FVARITOUE**

**SBSRUICBE**


	8. 8 - The Red Leaves of Autumn

**I'm so sorry for the wait :/**

**Anywho chapter 8 is here**

**Don't forget to share**

**This story where**

**People will hear**

8

The Red Leaves of Autumn

Inhaling deeply, Rosa rolled over in her bed, pushing her fingers up her aching forehead. Across the room, she could barely see the painting on the wall until she'd blinked several times, and her thoughts were just as faded. But her shaking hands as she tried to lift away her blanket left her in no doubt that last night was more than just a nightmare. "Hugh," she murmured, reaching to her Xtransceiver on the bedside table. Her fingers fumbled to grab it, and she dragged it onto her chest, leaving it to sit. Last night. Groaning, she rolled onto her back and slammed her eyes shut. If she didn't say anything to him, it would've been okay. If she'd just kept her mouth shut… but talking to Touko made her jealous of the relationship between her and N that she foresaw. It made her wish that things between herself and Hugh were different. So she told him how she felt… and he walked out into the night. After that she found the gin that was just for the two of them and drank it straight from the bottle. Wincing as her stomach lurched, she tried not to think about the taste of the alcohol. Instead she thought about the piercing, livid glare Hugh gave her before grabbing his bag and storming out on her, and she thought about the things he called her. Selfish, distant, untrustworthy and disrespectful. A cold tear dripped off the girl's chin and she stifled a sob with her hand. Had he really left her? As her hand fell on the cool metal of the Xtransceiver, she froze. As her breathing grew shaky, and her emotions began to flood her already overwhelmed head, she found herself almost gasping in surprise as she began to call a number. Quickly wiping away her tears, she held the device in front of her face, and shivered as Hugh appeared on the screen. As soon as the pale young man saw her, his red eyes narrowed. "Hugh –" Rosa began, but there was a pip, and the screen turned black. Blinking, she stared at the empty screen feeling equally as hollow on the inside.

"Whiiimsicott?" As the ball of cotton floated down from the bedposts, Rosa immediately pulled herself up so that her Pokémon floated into her lap. Orange eyes blinking up at her, Whimsicott tilted its head. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around its tiny body and cradled it gently.

"Thanks, Whimsicott," she whispered, holding back her tears. Just as she was about to give up and cry onto her fluffy friend, she was jolted to attention as her Xtransceiver began to sing. Heart pounding, her hands fell away from Whimsicott as she started at the device that was now going beserk. Hugh? With shaking hands, she reached down and pressed the button. Then she held her breath.

"Hey, Rosa!" Shoulders sinking, the girl threw a relieved glance at the ceiling before looking back to Nate, who was raising his eyebrows at her. "You look like a ray of sunshine this morning."

"Yeah. Hangover," she explained, feeling her body warm a little with his friendly grin.

"Well, have some fizzy hangover juice or something, because the director's been barking for you all morning," he told her. "Are you free to get to Pokéstar Studios this morning?" Frowning, Rosa fought to collect some relevant threads of thought, but she couldn't find any.

"Wait – what's this for?"

"He wants to start shooting the sequel to my film 'Buster'. Remember that one? Where me and Luxray play millionaire super spies?" Oh yeah. It was a really crappy action film, but it was a bit of fun, and she'd do anything for Nate.

"Are you guys casting me as someone? And Emolga?" she asked him, already feeling a little more alert.

"Yes. You're going to be the girl with psychic powers – the main antagonist." Rosa raised an eyebrow at him, as if to say 'oh I am, am I?' . "Emolga hasn't received a casting though. I know she's you're partner in filmmaking, but they want you to use Hydreigon this time."

"If I'm supposed to be the bad guy I guess that makes sense," she sighed, trying to imagine how this cringe worthy blockbuster was going to play itself out.

"Cool. Can you fly here now?" Rosa nodded, and he smirked, just before she pressed the button and he disappeared from the screen. Sighing, she glanced around the room until she spotted Whimsicott, who was arranging flowers in the toilet bowel again.

"Seriously?"

x

Touko's eyes fluttered open as she rolled over under the green blankets of N's bed. Her body felt a little cold, so she snuggled forward to wrap her arms around something, but all she grabbed were empty sheets. Dozy, she pulled herself up and looked around, rubbing her eyes. To her sickening shock, N wasn't in the bed. But she wasn't too shocked, even when she noticed that the flat was quite silent. Casting her eyes across the room for any sign of where he might have gone, she finally spotted the note sitting limply on her bedside table. Gingerly lifting it with her fingertips, she placed it on her lap. At first she had to strain to read the tiny, looping letters, but it was clearly from N, who apparently had the most extraordinarily neat handwriting she'd ever seen.

Good morning! I'm out doing some research at the moment! I couldn't wake you up – you had such a tiring day yesterday that I decided to let you wake naturally! Anyway – when you get this note, call me!

Astonished by the number of exclamation marks and exhausted by straining to understand the tiny print, Touko groaned and tossed the note aside, before smirking to herself. Reaching across, she grabbed the XTransceiver and dialled his number. It didn't ring long before there was a pip, but it wasn't N's face that appeared on the screen.

"Buuun!" A smiling brown bunny was looking back on the other end of the device, followed by a familiar, heart-warming laugh.

"Buneary says you look sleepy," N laughed, lifting the Pokémon away.

"This looks like very serious research," Touko retorted, poking her tongue out at them, giving his cheeks a pinkish tint. "I hope it's going well."

"Umm… I got a little distracted," he muttered, lowering his head and looking up at her through guilty eyes. "I'm not concentrating too well at the moment – because… I'm just… quite happy." Unable to stop herself from smiling back at him, she felt her own cheeks heating up.

"It's okay. I'm pretty happy too." Lifting his chin back up, he smiled back, his eyes glowing.

"I'll come home soon. I want to hold my girlfriend, if I'm allowed. I mean… I can't stop thinking about how amazing last night was!" Face turning a dark shade of red, she held the device further away from her face and looked away in embarrassment. "I want to do it again so badly! I won't use those zipties though…"

"N! You're so forward…" He shrugged.

"Whatever that means. Hey are you still naked? Can I see?"

"What? No!" Gasping, Touko grabbed the top of the blanket and pulled it up to her shoulders, covering as much visible flesh as possible. Straining to see, N sat up a little. "N!"

"What?" he laughed. "Are you trying to be cute?"

"Screw you," she huffed, sinking further into the bed. "How long are you going to be?"

"Not long. Help yourself to the food," he said, turning to Buneary and scratching behind its ear.

"Um… Okay. Can I use your shower?" she asked him.

"I need a shower too. Perhaps we can share…" Shaking her head in disbelief, Touko gawped down at him.

"See you later, N!" she cried, quickly jabbing the hang up button before he could say anything else to freak her out. Considerably more awake, she climbed out of bed and scooped up her clothes before taking them across to the shower. Hopefully those ludicrous arm warmers would cover the friendly fire N inflicted on her last night.

x

"Get back, or I'll destroy him! I can fight off your psychic attacks too, so don't even think about it!" Gallade hissed, squeezing Nate's neck harder as they stood dangerously close to the edge of a treacherous cliff, with thunder and lightning exploding from the dark clouds hanging over them. Glaring, Rosa retreated slightly from them. "I'm serious! I'll kill him!"

"No you won't," she replied. "I won't let you. I need him to complete my plan."

"I'll never help you! I'd rather die!" Nate shot back, not struggling as Gallade squeezed harder.

"Why not? I have to… blibble wibble… ah sorry…" Sighing, the director glanced down at his feet, before glancing back up at Rosa.

"Cut. Stop rolling." Sighing, Gallade released Nate from its grip, and Rosa turned to the director tiredly. "What's up, Rosa? This isn't like you." She tore away her gaze from his disappointed face, as a wave of guilt washed over her. "Your heart just isn't it today."

"Uh…" She could pretend it wasn't her fault, like she was being distracted or didn't like the script like her co-workers often did, but she'd had enough of the drama. "Yeah. Sorry." Shaking his head, the man glanced at Nate, who simply shrugged, before glancing back to the gloomy girl.

"Take a walk and sort yourself out. You're no good to us like this." Rosa nodded, internally grateful that her role didn't require much in the way of wacky makeup or costume. Still though, on her way out she changed into her normal outfit and took out the wig before fixing her hair. Listless and limp, she wandered across the various sets and glistening pathways in the direction of the gates heading into Virbank City. She wondered if maybe seeing the golden leaves dropping off the trees on old Route 20 would cheer her up – or if it would just make her feel worse. Inhaling the scent of the crisp air, she began to stroll up the almost empty street toward the barrier. It smelt like home – and autumn was her favourite time of year here, because she could stand at the lookout and look down on all the deep reds and brilliant oranges of the seasonal forests surrounding them, which was something… she used to do a lot with Hugh. They'd stand at the lookout together – just the two of them, and they'd drink his mum's pumpkin soup from thermos flasks. Of course, Hugh was just bragging about his Pokémon the whole time. But it was a comforting memory. A heavy sigh in her chest, Rosa wandered through the barrier and out onto the slope of the hill, disregarding the woman standing at the counter. Then treading carefully, she edged down the slick grassy slope, trying hard not to let her feet slip. Even just that was comforting. This whole place was a comforting memory. But even as she reached the bottom of the hill, she didn't want to look up. She didn't want to feel comforted, because every time that she did, she thought of Hugh, and how hurt he looked when she told him how she felt. Why was he so annoyed at her? Huffing, her foot collided with a pile of leaves, sending them flapping along with the wind. She should be mad at him. She was mad at him. All her life he just treated her like some kind of sidekick – or worse than a sidekick. Like some kind of servant. That was fine when they were just friends, but she was sure that when she found out he had feelings for her, that he'd want to treat her better. Whenever she was with him, he'd shower her with 'I love you' and kisses and she knew for a fact that he loved her and she loved him. So why did he have to talk down to her all the time? This time, it was an innocent Patrat who had to dart away as she stomped through the long grass, kicking it brutally with every step.

"Sorry," she muttered, as a group of walkers turned to glare at her. She'd come out to Route 20 to be alone, but it was the weekend – and for autumn, it was a clear day. Damn Hugh, getting mad at her. He wouldn't even let her tell him how she felt about it! Why did he have to take it as an insult? Was he that arrogant and vain? Did she mean that little to him, that he'd put his own stupid, narcissistic ego before her feelings? "_Ooooh_!" she growled swinging her fists, but she gasped as it knocked sharply into something quite solid.

"Ah!" came a cry, and Rosa withdrew in a shot, whipping around to the source of the sound.

"Ch-Cheren!" she gasped, stumbling back as the taller young man rubbed his jaw, glaring at her.

"Watch what you're doing, Rosa!" he snapped, dropping his hand and placing it on his hip. Blushing furiously, she stared down at the ground as she tried to catch her breath. Cheren raised an eyebrow. "What… _are_ you doing?"

"Uh…" Reaching up and scratching her head as he stepped toward her, she gave him a quick glance. "I was… at Pokéstar Studios," she murmured, as he frowned down at her. "Director said I should take a walk…"

"That's an aggressive way of walking," he replied, his stern dark eyes unwavering as they watched her expression. "I'm out on a walk to relax, myself. Punching the air – and people for that matter – isn't really my idea of a pleasant stroll."

"I'm upset, okay?" Rosa suddenly burst out to him, making him recoil slightly. "I'm getting so sick of the way Hugh treats me. I told him that I wanted him to treat me as his equal, and he stormed out on me! You know why? Because he's a selfish, idiotic, selfish, idiot!"

"Okay! Wow," Cheren breathed, waving her down. "Okay… right… You know, Rosa – Hugh's a really great guy. He's my friend." As her jaw began to jut out, she shot a look down to the leaves blowing across her feet. "But… you're my friend too. So I'll support you if it isn't working out." Eyes softening, Rosa glanced back up into his, where their gazes rested. "All that matters is that you're happy."

"You…" Biting her lip as her voice evaporated in the chilled air, she took a deep breath. A warm hand grasped her shoulder, as Cheren stooped slightly to maintain the eye contact.

"Rosa… you've done all you can by telling Hugh how you feel, right?" His gaze was so severe that she felt her cheeks heat up, but he still didn't let her break eye contact as she gave the tiniest nod.

"We were… going to visit Hoenn together," she murmured, as her weary heart started pounding hard all over again, "in a week or so. At least for a few months. It was going to be an adventure – just the two of us. But… I guess that's not going to happen anymore."

"Ah…" For a moment, Cheren's expression relaxed as his sympathetic eyes rested on the petite girl, but then he smiled. "I guess in a selfish way, I'm glad you're not going with him."

"What?" As her eyes shot to his, a look of vague surprise crossed his face and he shook his head.

"I mean I'm glad you're sticking around – that's all." A freezing gust billowed past them, blowing hair across Rosa's face as she looked back down at the leaf covered floor.

"Oh." Shivering slightly, Cheren stared guiltily down at her. Sighing through his nose, he gently brought his hand around and brushed the strands of brown hair out of her eyes.

"You're a tough kid," he smirked, as her light blue eyes clashed with his dark ones. As the girl's soft pink lips stretched into a smile, his heart fluttered a little. Suddenly, Rosa rose to the tips of her toes, and, with his hand still clasping her cheek, he gasped a little as that smile brushed against his lips and pecking him gently. A heavy blush across her cheeks, she leaned back and looked hesitantly at his astonished face. "Uhm…" Cheren frowned. As the fibres of dread just began to wrap their choking tendrils around Rosa's throat, his frown evaporated and his eyes fluttered shut as his hand gripped the back of her head and he pulled her into another kiss.

x

"Rosa…" Heart aching terribly, Hugh rested his wrist on his forehead and leaned back against his Serperior's scales. Why couldn't he make her happy? Every cell in his body was in love with her, but this still happened. "Why doesn't she know that? Just because… I don't always seem it… I love her… I thought she knew that." He had already realised that leaving her all alone was the wrong thing to do. It would've looked like he was leaving her. But he couldn't let it end. "I don't know what I'd do without her… Rosa…" As his chin thudded onto his chest in defeat, he let his heavy eyelids open. If he didn't call her, he might be sacrificing her. But he couldn't… he didn't know what to say to her. Maybe he could beg her to forgive him, or something. He just didn't know. He didn't care. He'd do anything to just be able to hold her close again. "I depend on you…"

x

Touko was scared. Glancing nervously at the door for the hundredth time as she paced up and down the living room, she bit her lip. "Where in the _shit_ is he?" It had been… how long? Well it was one in the afternoon, which meant that N said he was coming home soon about… two and a half hours ago. "Dammit," she growled, dashing to her bag, tearing out her Xtransceiver and shoving in his number letting it ring. And ring. And ring. "N… N!" she suddenly gasped. Usually she had a grip on reality, but she could barely think of anything other than the terrifying thought that the freak who'd played Doctor Death on her the previous day had somehow got to him. Either that, or he'd gotten distracted playing with Pokémon and left his Xtransceiver somewhere stupid. Neither would've surprised her, but either way someone's ass was going to be whooped. Clenching her fists, Touko seized her bag and ran to the front door, tearing it open. Where was N when she called him? It was somewhere nearby, most likely, with sparce trees, long grass, with lots of Pokémon and skyscrapers close by. Only one place fit that description. As soon as she burst out of the lobby and onto the street, the girl hurled her Pokéball, releasing Sawsbuck. Not wasting a moment's breath, she vaulted onto its back. "Let's go, Sawsbuck," she ordered, and it obeyed, breaking into a gallop down the bustling street in the direction of the docks. Upon reaching the waterfront, they turned sharply and dashed toward the most eastern pier, barely caring as overtook the rushing cars. Determined and vicious, Touko directed Sawsbuck onto the pier and slowed as they approached the tunnel that led to the Castelia sewers.

"What the hell are you doing?" a man in a high visibility vest barked, and she looked down at him darkly.

"I'm going into the sewers." Glaring at her with a touch of confusion in his eyes, the man shook his head and stepped aside for her and her steed as they trotted into the dank underworld of the metropolis. Wincing as the smell of stagnant air wafted toward her, Touko patted Sawsbuck's back before climbing off, returning it to its Pokéball. The sounds of dripping water and the squeaks and scuttling made the entire environment seem to seethe with some kind of toxic life, but it didn't intimidate Touko. With her hand resting on Victini's Pokéball, she quietly patted across the dank concrete. But nothing seemed to happen. A man in a mask didn't just jump out and grab her, and none of the habiting Pokémon seemed to take any interest in the girl at all. As she reached the bottom of the stairs leading into the small grove in the heart of Castelia, Touko's hope that N was safe felt a little stronger. Until she heard a muffled whimper. Her heart pounded, as her legs started stumbling her up the stairs. "N!" she gasped, tripping slightly as her panicking body tried to speed her up the dank, slippery stone steps. "N!"

"Mmmph!" came a cry, and Touko burst out into the light, whipping around and glancing all over for her love. And as her eyes found him, her heart sank.

"N! No!" she screamed, as she stumbled forward. His face was twisted in agony and fear, and blood was dripping from wounds on his forehead and all across his limbs and torso. He'd been roughly gagged with some kind of fabric, and his hands were tied behind his back. As he struggled to his feet and she got closer to him, she could see the terrible bruises and cuts tarnishing his usually smooth and unblemished skin. Even his usually strong steel eyes seemed sunken and miserable.

"Mm," he pleaded, shaking his head at her.

"I'll get you out of there!" Touko gasped, still running toward him, but as his eyes suddenly shot open, she froze.

"Mmmph!" Suddenly, she screamed as two slippery arms shot around her and tightened, pinning her up against something huge and bumpy behind her.

"Let me _go_!" she screamed, trying to tear away the arms, but they held her firmly with little difficulty. N's eyes were wide with rage as he fought against his bindings and tried to cry her name, but he couldn't do anything. It was a Tangrowth, and it wasn't going to let her go easily. He'd got her captured. Suddenly, his knees buckled and he sank to the ground, his green hair limply flopping over his head as he fell forward.

"Mm-mm…" he whispered, biting down on the sickening fabric between his teeth.

"You! Don't touch him!" he heard Touko hiss, and N shivered in fear as a hand reached down and brushed the back of his head. Then it squeezed the knot holding his gag in place, and as the fabric loosened, he spat it out of his mouth.

"I'll kill you!" he roared, suddenly springing to his feet and trying to head butt the man standing behind him. But as he spun around he only lunged into the empty air, and he cried as something heavy smashed into his cheek, throwing him with force into the dirt. Flinching as his side slammed into the ground, N let out a pained hiss and his body seized.

"N!" Touko screamed, as Tangrowth squeezed her tighter.

"Kill me, Mr. Harmonia?" the man slurred. Wincing, N strained to glare up at his attacker – two dark, hateful eyes glared back down, but the rest of his face was covered with a medical face mask. "You really… have it in you to kill?"

"If I have the right motivation!" he growled back, not caring how much it stung to scowl up at the assassin. "Don't test me!"

"Oh, I think I will," the man said with smirking eyes. "But first I'll say how lucky I feel – to capture not only the beautiful Touko, but the King turned traitor." Body shaking uncontrollably, Touko fixed him with a menacing gaze. "To think that some twisted form of attachment formed between the two of you – an airheaded princess and a mindless freak."

"What did you just call me?" N snarled, still coiled in the grass where he fell. Suddenly he flinched, as the man put his boot on his shoulder, rolling him onto his back.

"You are subhuman," the man replied. "And I'm going to make sure a traitor like you suffers."

"I said don't touch him!" Touko shouted. Ignoring the shivering girl, the man snapped his fingers, and a Bisharp darted to his side. "No! N – just run away!"

"As I've already told him – if he attempts to run I'll only make it worse for you. Both of you." Turning his head away as the Bisharp slowly approached him, N's eyes narrowed sadly.

"You can kill me… but please don't… hurt Touko," he murmured, making the man raise an eyebrow.

"I don't think so, Mr. Harmonia. I won't be sparing her, and your own death will be far from painless," he drawled, making her gasp. "Now get him up. Don't give him a chance to run," he ordered his Pokémon, who nodded and reached down to grab N under the arms, lifting him to his feet. He barely resisted, though he was visibly shaking.

"Huh?" A snapping sound and a pinging on his arms alerted him to the fact that his wrists had been untied. Bringing his hands back in front of his body, he clenched his fists. Watching in terror as the man handed him the hunting knife that had been confiscated, Touko felt tears welling up in her eyes. Her whole mind was going beserk, as she fought to think of something she could do to help him. But she couldn't. Her knees were trembling so badly that had Tangrowth not been holding her, she'd have collapsed. And she couldn't reach her Pokémon. She couldn't run. She couldn't move. She couldn't do anything.

"Kill Touko." Touko let out a choking gasp, and a pair of horrified grey eyes shot to the man's masked face as his heart died in his chest. "Now."

"No. I think I'll kill you instead," he growled, but Bisharp was gripping his shoulder with a sharp hand. "Or I'll kill myself. I won't give you the satisfaction."

"Oh I almost forgot what you said earlier," the man said, a tiny smile in his eyes. "You need the right motivation. Weezing!" Eyes shooting to the trees as a silhouette floated out into the light, N bit his lip. There couldn't really be any threat that would tempt him to kill Touko, could there? As the Weezing came into view, gas hissing out of the pores on its two bodies, the man turned back to N. "Should I tell it to use Flamethrower to burn the Pokémon who live here alive? Or perhaps I should get it to use its Poison Gas to slowly choke them to death. I can tell you that either way – I will kill every wild Pokémon living here if you don't kill Touko! How's that for motivation?"

"No," Touko breathed, as N's entire body seemed to freeze. "No!" As her voice filled his ears, he hung his head. "You said you were killing us to protect Pokémon!" she screamed. "How can you say that you'd hurt them now?"

"These Pokémon have been living among people," the man said, turning to her. "They've been poisoned by the ways of humans. While I'd rather spare them, I will kill them if Natural disobeys me." Glaring away as a blush fell across his cheeks, N huffed.

"You bastard," he growled, uttering a rare swearword.

"I want you to kill her, Mr. Harmonia." Two pained grey eyes rose to meet Touko's terrified blue ones.

"I'm so sorry, N," she gasped, as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "You have to kill me – we can't let him destroy this place."

"I know," he whispered back, his own eyes stinging with tears. "But I love you, Touko."

"Hurry up and do it, so I can get around to bleeding you dry!" A shudder ran up his spine as he wondered exactly what that psychopath meant by that. "Her death will be painless compared to yours." Heart pounding feverishly in his chest, he slowly began to walk toward Touko, unable to tear himself away from her frightened stare. He was gripping the knife in his hand so hard that it hurt. Somehow it felt heavy. Perhaps he could end this now, and plough it into his own heart. At least that way he wouldn't have to see Touko die. But if he did that then that maniac would probably punish her for it, or punish the local Pokémon, and he couldn't be responsible for that. He had to do something though. This couldn't really be the end.

"I love you too, N," she murmured as N came close enough to her for him to hear. Somehow his eyes looked hollow as he looked down at her. "I'm sorry."

"I'll try to make it as painless as possible," he replied, resting his lips on her forehead. Then he raised his blade and let the tip dig into the flesh under her chin.

"I know you will." As cold tears slid down the metal of the blade and onto his hand, N gripped the back of her head tightly. Every part of him felt as though it was turning to stone. It was an agonising transformation, and his mind kept turning to the thought of ending his own life. But he couldn't. He had to kill her. There was no other way. But at that moment, as he held her so close to his body, he could feel her breaths blowing against his neck, and her heart beating against his chest. In fact he could feel her life energy moving from her body and into his, making him feel weak and warm all at once. She was alive. There had to be something.

"Well, then… Farewell." Breathing out slowly, Touko waited for N to thrust the knife into her head, only praying that she wouldn't feel anything. But he didn't move. The hand gripping her head weakened slightly, and she glanced up at him. His eyes were wide, and staring off into apparently nothing. Her entire body shaking, she gave a hefty sob as he lowered the knife and turned away.

"What are you doing?" the man snapped, and Weezing gave an extra hard puff of gas. "Kill her!"

"No. Kill him!" N roared, and before the man had time to speak, a Lopunny shot out from the trees, a leg extended as it slammed into the side of Bisharp. Then several Buneary emerged from the trees and opened their mouths, before firing icy bolts at Tangrowth.

"What?" the man gasped, as the Tangrowth gripping Touko froze around her. "Weezing! Use Flamethrower! Burn them!" But he was too late, as the ice shattered from Tangrowth, sending it stumbling backward and freeing Touko, who in an instant tore her Pokéball from her bag.

"Victini! Use Telekinesis!" she shouted, as the fiery Pokémon burst from its ball and it raised its paws, enveloping Weezing, Bisharp and Tangrowth all in a green glow, as they were lifted at Victini's command. Then it swung its paws, sending them flying hard toward the wall of a skyscraper. With a crash, they slammed against the concrete and dropped onto the ground, all unconscious. In the same moment, N had already dropped his knife and was running at the man who'd threatened to not only kill him, but to kill his lover and all the Pokémon who lived there.

"Aaah!" the man gasped, as a heavy weight slammed into his chest, and he was thrown hard onto the ground.

"You are _scum_!" N hissed, kneeling on the man with a mad anger burning in his eyes. "How dare you pretend to care about Pokémon? You're a psychopath – nothing more."

"Go to hell!" the man spat, but N raised his fist, his knuckles turning white as he glared down at his enemy. Then he twisted his body and threw his fist into the man's face, making him scream in pain as N lent forward to aim even heavier punches into his head. With every punch, the man's head crunched dangerously into the earth, but still he didn't slow for even a second as he continued to pummel him.

"N! Stop!" Touko gasped, as she turned to see him sitting on top of the man, sending some seriously violent punches into the side of his head. "N! You'll kill him!" Dashing toward them, she hooked her arms around his and tried to pull him back, as he grunted and threw in one more aggressive punch, smashing the victim's head sideways. Then he stumbled away with her as she tore him off his body, a look of surprise in his eyes.

"Ha… ha… ha…" Falling back onto his butt, he stared across at the mess he'd made as she examined the limp body.

"He's barely conscious." With an exhausted gasp, N glanced down at his blood spattered fist and back to the man in the grass. The entire right side of his face was already covered with dark bruises, and his eye had been smashed to hell – not to mention the mask around his face, which was now soaked in blood. "What were you thinking, N? You shouldn't have done this."

"I…" His words hitched in his throat as she turned to him with a shocked stare. Even though he searched, he couldn't find the answer to that question. He wasn't thinking at all when he lost his cool. Shaking her head, she turned back to remove the mask. Gently tucking her fingers into the elastic, she slowly peeled it away from his face. It sagged a little from all the blood, and she discarded it into the grass.

"Hey," she muttered, her eyes widening slightly as they saw the man's full face. He was quite young, and although his nose was a little bent and bleeding, and although half of his face was badly swollen, she felt a spark of recognition. "It's…" The sneering lips, and the scowling eyes… now that she could see all his features together, it had to be. "It's that guy from the PWT." Glancing up at them, N tilted his head.

"You mean the Pokémon World Tournament?" he asked her. As Touko turned to him and opened her mouth to answer, there was a sudden shout from down the stairs and the sounds of footsteps echoing against concrete, and both sets of eyes whipped around.

"Police!" someone barked, and N and Touko leapt to their feet in astonishment as several armed officers ran out of the sewers and into the grove, with their Arcanines and Growlithes hot on their heels. "Hands on your heads!" Immediately they obeyed, as the entire area was suddenly swarming with police officers and their Pokémon. One officer ran past them and checked the man who was groaning in pain on the ground, then looked to the two others before nodding to another officer behind them.

"Are you two okay?" the second officer asked them, looking particularly at N who was still looking a bit battered.

"He tried to kill us," he growled, "but we're fine." Nodding to them, she tried to beckon them away from where the man was being taken away, but neither moved.

"Two questions: how did you find us, and who is that?" Touko asked her, her brow furrowed and her heart still pounding from the events of the last two minutes. She knew that the police would have found her dead if the Pokémon of the forest hadn't saved them.

"Someone from a nearby building saw a man using his Pokémon to assault you and called the police," she told them. "But I can't give away that man's identity – it's classified. I can tell you that the police have had their eyes on him for a while, though." Nodding, Touko turned away and walked to where two more officers were holding the attacker.

"Miss – wait over there please," one of them instructed, but he was ignored as she stepped right up to the bloody mess and looked into his one good eye.

"You lose," she said, her voice in a low hiss. Expecting him to become angered by this, Touko felt a sick sense of surprise as a smile cracked across his damaged face, and a low laugh resonated from deep within his chest.

"We can't lose," he smirked, the dark smile strong on his lips.

"What do you mean 'we'?" Eyes narrowing as his smile grew, the man let himself be guided across the grove toward the sewers, but Touko followed, still fixing him with her intense stare.

"We are everywhere," he slurred, licking his lips. "The world will be cleansed." An officer lifted his arm, causing her to stumble to a stop, but they continued walking the man away from her. She watched after him with wide eyes, until he was engulfed into the darkness. Still, she continued to stare. Behind her, she felt a warm presence and soft hand on her waist.

"Touko? Are you okay?" N muttered, but a smile was already spreading across the girl's lips. Finally, after all this time, things were stirring.

**Stay tuned for more love making, face beating and heartbreaking**

**eNigmatic signing off till next time...**

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	9. 9 - The Basics

**Here it is and sorry for the wait!**

9

The Basics

"Good morning," a voice breathed gently, as warm air rolled across the rim on the girl's ear. Shivering, Touko curled into the body that slid against hers, as an arm wrapped itself across her stomach. "Touko." She could feel his velvety lips on her neck, and his fingers were gently stroking her arm. Inhaling deeply, Touko let her eyes flutter shut as his gentle touches heightened her senses.

"Morning," she mumbled, lifting her hand and brushing it over his. Her neck prickled as she felt him smile, and the bed sank behind her as he heavily pulled himself up, trailing his hand softly across her shoulder. Then, he leaned over her as if to kiss her, but he hesitated, his eyebrows knitting together.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pouting down at Touko who was staring up at him with an expression of unadulterated despair. Shaking her head as her eyes relaxed, the girl reached out with her hand and brushed N's cheekbone, making him wince. "It's fine, Touko. Seriously – stop worrying." Raising her eyebrows sadly at him, she let her fingers slip from the dark, rough looking wound down to his lip, where she gently caressed the cut were his blood had dried, making a thick dark line.

"Do you like being hurt?" Frowning, N took her wrist and pulled her hand away before leaning into her and laying a kiss on her cheek. "You haven't changed – always getting so beaten up…"

"Whatever," he growled into her white skin, before dragging his bottom lip from her cheek down to her lips. "Why so concerned with my body, Touko? Were you wanting something?" he slurred, slowly rolling his hips and making her gasp beneath him.

"Calm down!" Smirking against her lips, he pushed his tongue into her mouth and slowly began kissing her as he continued to grind against her thigh. She winced and tried to wiggle away, but he had her right where he wanted her as he panted into her mouth. A sigh in her chest, she relaxed and let him keep kissing her. These things always seemed to come out of absolutely nowhere, and she could tell from the painful lump grinding into her leg that he'd had this on his mind for a while. As he finally released her lips, his grey eyes glowing with spirit, she fell back into the bed with an exasperated expression on her face. "Jeez. Like it matters what I was wanting. You always just do whatever you want anyway."

"I wouldn't do anything you didn't want me to," he said, frowning down at her. "Do you really not want to?" Biting her lip, she glanced up at him nervously.

"I do… kind of…" It wasn't that she didn't want to. She wasn't experienced at all, but even so she was pretty certain N was pretty good at sex for a beginner. He was confident enough, in any case, and he could make her feel amazing, but… she'd been completely obliterated by yesterday's events. And… she knew he was quite rough.

"I know you're tired," N murmured, his eyes fading a little. "If you don't want to even a little bit, I won't pressure you. But… I can go a little slower. You wouldn't have to do anything." Blue eyes relaxing as a smile pulled at the corner of her lips, Touko pushed her fingertips gently through his glowing hair. Smiling back down at her, he leaned back forward and gently massaged his lips against hers, as his body slowly began to move against hers again. "Ha," he panted, as she shifted beneath him.

"N," she whispered, as her stubborn mind finally let go and his warmth swept her away. Moaning, he gripped the sides of her head with his hands and kissed her harder. When she rolled onto her back, he clambered right over top of her without breaking the deep kiss. Only when he turned away to pull the green blanket over him did he pause, and when he glanced back down she was regarding him with steamy eyes and flushed cheeks. "Handsome…" Licking his lips, he smiled a little.

"Mm," he purred, rolling his hips forward. Touko took a sharp breath as something brushed against her entrance, and his lips smashed back into hers. As the heat of his body swamped hers, she gripped the back of his head tightly. "You ready?"

"Mmhm," Touko mumbled back, running her tongue swiftly across his lips. Groaning, he gave her a hard, chaste kiss as he gripped the sheets. Then he pushed. "Aah!"

"Uh…" Shuddering as his erection slid easily into her tight hole, N's eyes narrowed and a hot breath fell from his lips and onto Touko's cheek. Straight away, he felt his head emptying of all thoughts until all that was left was the need to feel every inch of her.

"M-more," she breathed, her back arching as he slowly pushed himself deeper inside her body. She could feel his harsh breaths pounding on her neck, but as he rolled his hips, he was remarkably gentle. But she was so wet that he slid in and out of her easily, and as was lying on top of her she could squeeze him tight. In seconds, the friction between them had them short of breath. Moaning, N thrust his tongue back into her mouth, their bodies moving against one another in unison. It felt totally hot and intimate, and both knew that this felt more like love-making than their previous wild behaviour. It wasn't animalistic, but human – holding one another so close that they could look deep into one another's eyes, and feel every inch of the other with every thrust. As the sounds of their lips slipping and smacking together echoed around the room with the sounds of their jagged breathing, they seemed to come back and reverberate through the lovers' bodies.

"Ha," he growled, sliding his hands into her soft hair, and shivering as he felt her do same to him. Keeping his slow pace down below, he sped up the movement of his lips against hers, though he could barely keep up with her.

"Mm!" she squeaked, as he suddenly thrust extra hard, and she felt him stab deep into her body. Groaning deeply, he locked jaws with her again and began pumping a little harder. The friction between their bodies was building, and Touko felt she was close to her limit already. His torso was rubbing relentlessly on her pussy, making her mind do somersaults in her head. Looking up at him, she could see that his eyes were narrow in passionate lust, staring back into hers with a hunger she wasn't familiar with.

"I… I'm close," he murmured, blushing deeply as he pulled away from her lips for a moment. Usually he lasted longer than this, but he'd had his mind on nothing else all morning. Body shivering in ecstasy as he slammed into her, Touko let out a tiny cry, her eyes widening.

"I… want you to cum!" Amazed she'd let herself say that, she immediately tilted her head away and slammed her eyes shut, too embarrassed to look at his depraved, impressed expression.

"Uhh!" he hissed, his body seizing suddenly as the orgasm finally shattered him. Beneath him he could hear Touko moaning as his seed exploded out his cock and filled her up deep inside. After several more shaking thrusts, N finally gave one last shuddering sigh, before sinking down on top of her, panting heavily. A gentle kiss on his neck and a gentle hand playing with the hair falling across his back made him sigh again, as the he softly sizzled on top of her.

"Sorry… you're kind of heavy," Touko wheezed, and a surprised N shot up, before clambering off her and flopping onto the mattress beside her. Face burning, he buried his face in the sheets.

"That felt… really good holding you so close. Sorry it was so short…" Already back to her usual self, she glanced away from him with a heavy blush on her cheeks. She didn't know what to say to something like that. "Did you finish?"

"No," she said carefully. "But it's okay. Touya says it's easier for guys to finish. And you don't need to apologise… It did… you know… feel pretty good." It was a habit of hers to behave coldly when she felt embarrassed, but she had to fight that for N's sake. She didn't want to hurt his feelings – she'd done plenty of that in the past. For a moment, the two lay together in silence.

"I thought I was going to lose you yesterday." Frowning, the girl glanced around to her lover. He was lying on his stomach on the bed, his head turned to gaze at her, but his soft grey eyes were sad. As her expression relaxed, Touko sighed and rolled around to face him properly, and stroked his cheek with her free hand. "I've been scared before – but nothing like how I felt yesterday. Not when I met Reshiram, or when you defeated me in the castle… not even when you told me how you feel about me…" Nodding slowly, Touko made a soft noise of agreement. It was truly terrifying. If it weren't for the compassionate forest Pokémon, they would both be dead. She didn't even want to imagine what kind of agony that monster would've put N through. And if he really was only the tip of the iceberg as he said, then there was a chance that it could happen again. She couldn't let it happen again. "Anyway… do you want a shower first, or do you want to have breakfast?"

"Um…" Both sounded like pretty good options. "You can have the first shower, and I'll have breakfast, if that's okay," she told him, and his smile faded a little. He didn't mean he wanted them to have separate showers. "I want to call Rosa."

"Okay. Could you put in a couple of pieces of toast for me?" he asked her, already sitting up and scooping his dressing gown off the floor.

"Yup," she replied, pulling on her underwear and groping around for her bra. Normally N wouldn't have let her dump her stuff straight on the floor, but he didn't feel like telling her that when she was taking off her clothes the previous night.

"Thanks." As he disappeared into the bathroom, Touko quickly got dressed before heading out into the lounge. When she got to the kitchen, she got out a plate and a bowl, and as many spreads she could find in the pantry and laid them with a knife on the kitchen island. Then she popped two pieces of bread into the toaster, wondering how that could be enough for a grown man, and poured some fruity cereal and milk into her bowl, grabbed a spoon and sat down at the wooden dining table. Spoon in one hand and X-transceiver in the other, she jabbed in her friend's number and let it ring.

"Hey. What's going on?" As the smiling pretty face shot up onto the screen, Touko felt her heart warm a little. It was nice to see someone friendly.

"Hi Rosa," she said, placing her spoon back on the wooden surface of the table. "Just wanted to check up on you. You weren't picking up yesterday."

"Yeah," Rosa replied, staring guiltily across the line. "Sorry about that." For a moment, she smirked back at the younger girl, but something in Rosa's eyes made her hesitate.

"Um… So how are things with Hugh?" she asked cautiously. "Did you talk to him?" As Rosa's round eyes shot up to hers, she blushed and waved a hand.

"Forget that. How did things go with you and N? I've been dying to hear about that!" A sadness flickered in Touko's blue eyes as she looked concernedly to her friend. If something was wrong and Rosa didn't want to tell her, it wouldn't be fair to push it.

"I told him how I feel," she muttered. Now it was her turn to blush, as Rosa's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped.

"Already? Woah! What happened?" Well she ended up in the hotseat quickly. Scratching her head with her free hand, she gave Rosa a grin.

"Well… he got really embarrassed. But he sure seemed to have a better grip on things than me – he wasn't half as nervous. And… he said…" As her memory took her back to that moment, she felt her heart swell, and Rosa smirked watching her friend's eyes grow distant. "He said he loves me. He always loved me."

"Shocker." Touko didn't even seem to hear her, as her blue eyes became hazier.

"Then it was really awkward and I kissed him and it was a really lame kiss. But later he kissed me properly and he's a really good kisser… Yeah…" Not sure if she wanted to know that, Rosa frowned a little, but let Touko gush. She was a good listener. "He… was really eager." Rosa's eyes widened.

"What?" she gasped, her suspicion growing at the same rate of Touko's blush. "You mean you two… already?"

"I was surprised alright… But he wanted to prove to me that he's not a total dummy." Part of Touko felt completely stupid for getting so chatty and girlish about this, but she'd promised to tell Rosa what happened, and from time to time it felt nice to be excited about something. "We… actually did it."

"When was this?" A spark of curiosity lit Rosa's face as she pressed Touko for the details.

"Sunday night. And since then we've done it two more times," she murmured, a small smile on her lips as she laughed at herself for being so immature. But she couldn't help but pat herself on the back for losing her virginity. Of course she wouldn't if it hadn't been to N, but it had.

"I hope you used protection," Rosa sniggered. Suddenly, Touko froze and Rosa frowned. "Seriously, Touko?"

"I-I-I forgot!" she gasped, slapping a hand to her cheek in horror. How could she be so stupid to forget something as basic as protection? Or to forget the whole function of sex? She wasn't ready to have a family. No way. She was only seventeen years old – there was no way she wanted to have a baby yet. Not a chance. Already panicking, she put a hand to her forehead and was alarmed to feel how hot it was. "I don't want to get pregnant!" Shaking her head in disbelief, Rosa pushed her hand up her face.

"Calm down. You're probably not, but you need to get a doctor's appointment and tell him what's happened. Then you can get some contraception and a morning after pill at once." Touko nodded, feeling her nerves calm a little at this news. "The chance of getting pregnant from only having a couple of unprotected nights is low, but you should really deal with that as soon as you can."

"Okay – thanks so much, Rosa!" Touko panted, shovelling a spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

"See ya." A sigh in her chest, she shook her head and hit the hang up button. "That Touko… she thought N was the dummy..?"

"What the..?" Cheren hissed, folding his arms. "I can't believe she was telling you all that and not me. She's known you for a few days, and she's known me her whole life." Glancing up at him, Rosa smirked, shaking her head, but Cheren didn't seem calmed. In fact, he looked livid, as he speared his pancake to his plate with his fork.

"She might still get around to telling you – give her a chance," she told him, raising an eyebrow. The two were sitting at a secluded but rather sweet round table in the courtyard of an Aspertia City café, slowly eating their breakfasts as they avoided talking about the events of the day before. After their brief encounter, the two went their own ways quickly, but Rosa's guilt got the better of her, so she called Cheren to ask him to breakfast, and he shyly agreed. Now the two were quite alone, surrounded by beautiful orange leaves in the micro paradise behind urban walls.

"It's not just that though," he grumbled, pouring more maple syrup across his breakfast. "I can't believe that after everything we all went through because of that _bastard_, she's actually taken to him. The thought of him being with Touko makes me sick to my stomach!"

"Woah," Rosa commented past the mouthful of French toast. "I've never seen you riled up quite like this. You must hate him."

"I didn't at first," he replied, his dark eyes heavy with something between sadness and anger. "I mean, I always thought he was pretty unusual. But… he and his subordinates ruined lives. He tried to do the same to you, me and everyone in Unova. I think he's an idiot and a creep. Usually I would be supportive of Touko no matter who she fell in love with. But I can't support this." Raising her eyebrows at him, she reached forward and took the maple syrup out of his hand and placed it back on the table – though his food had already long since drowned.

"You don't know him as well as Touko does, though," she told him. "And he didn't personally ruin those lives. In fact, if it weren't for him I wouldn't be alive." Cheren gave a short huff and locked her in a stern gaze, before turning back to his food and finally taking a mouthful. "You know – I reckon those two are cute together. The two heroes in love… It's a great twist."

"It's a Shyamalan twist and I hate it." Sniggering, she looked up at him from a low angle, taking a sip from her smoothie.

"Well you can think what you want – I think they'll be happy together," she said, biting the end of the staw. "But we should probably keep this quiet and let her tell people in her own time." Lips parting slightly, Cheren stared at her with a pink tinge on his pale cheeks.

"Yeah… about that…" Glancing up at him, Rosa felt her heart pang. They'd been avoiding it all morning – not that they'd really addressed it yesterday either. "Yesterday… were you serious with me? I won't be angry if you weren't…" Rosa stared at him. Cheren was one of her closest friends, despite the fact that she'd only known him since he opened his gym in Aspertia. How could he think she'd lead him on?

"I… I've thought about it really hard," she murmured, staring into her glass. "I care about Hugh, because he's my friend. But I don't… I couldn't… I want to be with someone else. Someone who treats me as an equal, not as an accessory. I want… to be with you, Cheren. I just don't love Hugh anymore." Even though she could hear the words coming out of her mouth, she couldn't feel herself saying them. She felt numb, admitting her heart out loud. In the meantime, however, Cheren was silent. As she peered up, she felt alarmed to see the defeat in his eyes as he hung his head. He took a breath and gave her a brief glance, though he didn't seem to be able to hold it.

"I think… I think you're great, but… you know I can't be with you," he finally said, biting his lip as he felt the girl freeze. Again, there was silence. Until finally, a sound came from her lips that made him want to punch himself in the face.

"Why not?" she asked him in a teensy voice.

"I… I'm sorry, Rosa… There are so many reasons," he muttered, his heart burning painfully in his chest with every terrible word falling from his lips. "You're… too young. You've only just broken up with someone else, and I don't want to be your rebound." Rosa bit her lip as she felt her heart shiver in her chest, and tears prick at the corners of her eyes. "And I'm friends with Hugh – I don't want to make him think I've stolen you from him. Also… I am a Gym Leader with a lot of responsibilities and I don't want a relationship interfering with that."

"What?" she snapped, her angry blue eyes snapping to his. "Cheren! You kissed me back without a thought to any of that crap. I know you like me – that's all there is to it."

"Sorry, Rosa," he mumbled, grabbing his coat and standing without looking into her eyes. "But I've thought about it too. My answer is no."

"Wait, Cheren!" Rosa cried, as he turned to walk away. Somehow, those tears had broken their barriers and were flowing down her cheeks. "Please! Don't go!" But he did leave – he had to. Even though he felt like a real bastard for not finishing the lunch she'd generously bought him. And for turning her down. He was a real bastard.

x

Feeling rather foolish, Touko clutched the plastic bag that was in her hand tighter before stepping out onto the street. "Well I'm not going to let _that_ happen again," she mumbled, rubbing her Sawsbuck's muzzle. The Pokémon snorted then knelt, allowing her to climb onto its back. "Okay – let's get back before N starts worrying." But by the time she was galloped back across to the skyscraper where he lived, it was clear he already was worried.

"Touko!" he shouted from where he was standing outside the lobby. As Touko got closer, she was alarmed to see a furious scowl on his usually calm face.

"S-sorry – I had to go out. I didn't realise it would take so l-"

"I don't want to hear it!" he hissed, as she trotted to a stop in front of him. "Just hurry up and get inside." Frowning as her heart gave a sharp pang, she clambered down from Sawsbuck and returned it to its Pokéball.

"I said I was sorry," she grumbled, brushing past her seething boyfriend to walk into the lobby.

"I really don't care!" he snapped, folding his arms as he followed her in. "I'm way too angry to talk to you right now." Rolling her eyes – though not so he could see – she dragged herself to the elevator and jabbed the 'going up' button, and stepped into the metal box as the doors slid open. As N stepped in after her, his jaw was stiff and as she looked at him he gave a short hiss and turned her head away.

"It was an emergency," she muttered. This wasn't fair.

"So much of an emergency that you couldn't even tell me? That you didn't even remember to bring your Xtransceiver?" he shot back, glaring into the back of her head as she pushed the button for the thirtieth floor of the fifty storey building. "It doesn't even matter – just forget it."

"Well it clearly does matter, so…" N huffed and turned away from her as she raised an eyebrow at him. As the elevator rose he still refused to look at her even though she was staring at him the entire time. "Don't be a jerk," she murmured, as the doors finally opened and they stepped into the corridor. There was another huff as he brushed past her and fumbled in his pocket for the key as they approached the apartment.

"I was worried sick, Touko! I went all over looking for you," he growled, jabbing the key into the lock and twisting it. "That was so selfish – running off without telling me after what happened yesterday." Pushing open the door a little roughly, the two stepped inside and there was a click as Touko shut the door behind them. A sigh in his throat, N paused. He wanted to say something conclusive, and forgive her so that they could move on and they wouldn't have to repeat something like this again, but he couldn't think of anything.

"Well there was an emergency," he heard her press, her voice a little weak. "I had to do something straight away. I don't think I did anything wrong." Gritting his teeth, N thrust his hands into his pockets and walked straight into the living room. Then he turned and sat on the cream sofa, his grey eyes burning into hers.

"You go ahead and think that," he drawled, before reaching forward and snatching up a science magazine, flicking it open to a random page. Fists clenched, Touko stared at him in disbelief as he started reading.

"For your information," she snapped, slamming her bag onto the table and making him jump, "I was at the doctor's taking responsibility of our relationship! As in I was getting protection – and the morning after pill for that matter."

"What?" he sneered, looking up sharply from his paper. "You mean you weren't already protected?"

"It's just as much your responsibility as it is mine – so don't give me that bullcrap!" she hissed, and just as he opened his mouth to reply, she whipped around and stormed into his room.

"Oh right!" he yelled after her, accidentally ripping the page he was on. "You treat me like I know nothing at all! Then you expect me to-" As the door shut behind her, he bit his lip. So she hadn't been protected that whole time? Was he supposed to ask? Still, it was no excuse for her leaving for so long without telling him or bringing her Xtransceiver. Huffing, Touko picked up her bag from the chair by the bed and looked around for anything she might have missed. With one last glance, she darted to the bathroom, where she grabbed her toothbrush, hairbrush and barely used makeup bag and shoved it all in with her other stuff. All she had to get was her Xtransceiver that was sitting where she'd left it on the dining table. Heading straight out from the bathroom to the entrance way, she stepped back out in view of N, who simply muttered under his breath and buried himself deeper in his magazine. Glancing at him with a sneer, she swept past him and round the corner, where she swiped the device up in her hand.

"Wouldn't want to forget this," she snarled, waving it at him as she came around the corner. His eyes narrowed.

"Where are you going?" he asked her, slowly shutting the magazine. He probably wasn't even reading it anyway.

"Where do you think?" A flicker of concern crossed his steel eyes, and his mouth opened slightly.

"Are you leaving? You can't be _that_ mad at me!" Sighing, Touko flicked her hair out of her eyes and looked at the floor.

"Yes I'm mad. That's nothing to do with where I'm going," she replied, glancing up at him. "I'm going to look for answers. I want to find out who's been targeting us and I'm going to shut them down."

"_What?!_" N shouted, jumping to his feet. Stepping back slightly, Touko shivered as she always did when she saw him angry. He looked wild with his bright wide eyes and his teeth bared. "You are _far_ too confident! They almost killed you _twice_ already!"

"N – you aren't my father! You don't get to tell me what to do!" she shot back, shoving her Xtransceiver into her bag. "You can help me, or you can stay out of my way."

"Maybe you're the one who doesn't understand love if you think I'm just going to let you get killed," he growled, taking a step toward her. Eyes wide and brow furrowed, she took another step back. Then she made a break for the door. "_Touko!_" But she was out the door in seconds. Her breath hot in her throat, she swung around the corridor and dashed for the metallic button on the wall. For a moment, she thought N couldn't have been following her, but then she heard his door shut and footsteps running toward her. Heart pounding, she squeezed through the doors of the lift before they'd finished opening and immediately slammed her finger onto the 'close doors' button. "Stop!" she heard him shout, as he came into view, dashing toward the doors. "No!" Leaping forward, he tried to put his hand in and stop the doors, but they clicked closed. As the doors shut and the elevator began to sink, Touko felt a pang of guilt at the dismay she could see in N's eyes as he tried to reach her. She knew he was only trying to protect her. What she really wanted was for him to help her, but he needed to understand that he couldn't keep her from this. Because the truth was, if she didn't shut these people down, then they'd never be safe. As the doors finally clicked open she didn't hesitate to run across the lobby and onto the street, before snatching her Sawsbuck's Pokéball and tossing it. N could easily be hot on her heels. "Touko – stop!" Heart pounding again, she didn't even turn back as she leapt onto her Pokémon's back.

"Skyarrow Bridge, as fast as you can, Sawsbuck," she told it, holding on tight as it broke into a gallop. As the wind whipped through her hair, she felt a bitter sting in her heart. It felt wrong riding away from him, and leaving him alone standing on the street. "I'll call you soon, N," she murmured, although she knew he couldn't hear her. "I love you." She only hoped he'd actually forgive her, when it came down to it. As they galloped along the waterfront, using the bicycle lane to stay away from pedestrians and traffic, they came up to the walkway leading onto the huge Skyarrow Bridge, which stretched from Castelia city all the way across the strait to Pinwheel Forest on the other side. "Let's just get across the bridge – then you can have a nice rest." With an extra burst of energy, the two shot up the ramp, and in only a few seconds they were running toward the first set of pillars. "Woah!" Suddenly, there was a red flash in front of them, and Touko gripped her Pokémon as it skidded to a halt.

"Sciii_zor_!" the Scizor growled, as it raised its claws threateningly, blocking the way. Touko glared at it, as Sawsbuck calmed itself beneath her and trotted around to face the Pokémon that was blocking them. Then there was the sound of hooves. Whipping around, her eyes narrowed.

"N – I'm flattered you'd go this far to protect me," she called, as the determined young man rode up on his Rapidash.

"And I'm impressed that you'd go this far to be a hero," he growled back. His cap shaded his eyes completely, but somehow Touko could still feel the anger from him. "I'm serious. I really admire how brave you are – but you have ties now, Touko. How can I let you leave like this when I know there's a chance you'll never come back?"

"I understand, N," she sighed, as Rapidash slowly trotted around her to stand beside Scizor. "But I believe this is the right thing to do. I didn't want to run away from you, but if you can't let me go then what choice do I have?" Shaking his head, the green haired man looked into her with serious eyes.

"You can have your freedom," he drawled, stroking his Rapidash with his free hand, "but I have my freedom. And so I have the right to challenge you – if you want to get off this bridge, you have to get through me first." Touko snorted, raising her eyebrows at him.

"You want to battle me?" she laughed, crossing her arms. "Then you better have brought a powerful team."

**CHEREN YOU FOOL :C Still... Hugh still isn't too clued up as to what's going on :\ Shall I go easy on him? Hmmm... you'll have to wait and see what happens :)**

**Also... TOUKO YOU FOOL :C she's had so many YOU FOOL moments in this chapter. But you know... at least she has her contraceptive meds.**

**So...**

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**somehow i think my story deserves more cred. That's not just me being immodest - I'm saying that because so many of the best reviewed and most read ferriswheelshipping fanfics are godawful. Not all of them just a lot of them. The vast majority.**


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